All four of Hillary Clinton's grandparents were immigrants
| All four of Hillary Clinton's grandparents were immigrants | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "Hillary Clinton said all four of her grandparents were immigrants." | |
| Domain | Immigration & Migration |
| Tactic | Fabrication |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2015 |
| Origin | Hillary Clinton's remarks at a campaign roundtable in Iowa, April 2015 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Immigration & Migration | |
At a campaign event in Iowa in April 2015, Hillary Clinton said, "All my grandparents, you know, came over here." She used the story to connect with immigrant families during a discussion of immigration.
Census and immigration records showed that only one of her four grandparents was born abroad.
What the evidence shows
- The records. Her paternal grandfather, Hugh Rodham Sr., was born in England and came to the United States as a child. Her other three grandparents were born in the United States.
- Campaign response. Her campaign said she had been speaking about her family's immigrant roots more broadly.
- Rating. PolitiFact rated the statement False in April 2015.
Why it matters
It is a small error, but family immigration stories are a common way for politicians to claim common ground. Small personal claims are also the easiest to check against public records.
Sources
- PolitiFact, "Hillary Clinton flubs family's immigration history," April 16, 2015.
- BuzzFeed News, "Records Contradict Hillary Clinton's Claim That All Her Grandparents Were Immigrants," April 2015.
- Megan Smolenyak, genealogy analysis of Hillary Clinton's ancestry, April 2015.