Debates have broken out on various Facebook pages (including our own) about the Greekness of the new Chief of Staff of President-elect Donald Trump who will be assuming one of the most powerful positions in the world come January 21, 2017.
Reince Priebus was born to a father with German ancestry and a mother who was born in Sudan, to Greek parents. Her family hailed from the Greek island of Lesvos and Priebus himself has commented about “half of his family living in Greece.”
Priebus himself mentions his Greek ancestry prominently on his official bio on the Republican National Committee website where he served as chairman of the party since 2011.
Priebus had humble roots and often used his own family’s story as a counter to criticism that being a Republican in some way always equated to having money. That’s an idea Priebus has always rejected.
“I don’t come from a family like that. My dad’s an electrician; my mom was born in Sudan. Half my family lived in Greece. I think what we believe is that everybody should have an opportunity to make good money, and we want people to do well,” Priebus said in an interview with Hellenext.
In that same interview, he shared the story of how his mother and father met.
“Back in the ’60s, northern Africa — as I understood it and as it was explained to me — was sort of the new frontier of southern Europe. So there were a lot of Italians and Greeks and Spanish that lived in northern Africa in the ’60s. My mother was 19 or 20 when she met my dad, and she had lived in Khartoum her entire life. She worked at the American Embassy in Sudan. My dad was in the Army in Ethiopia because the United States had an Army base in, I think it was Eritrea. And then he met my mom when she was in Khartoum.”
Priebus was baptized and raised by his family as a Greek Orthodox Christian.
During an interview with CNN back in April, Priebus noted that the three things he has in his office “that are critical in getting through the day” are the Greek Orthodox liturgy, the Republican Party platform, and the Milwaukee Brewers’ schedule.
Priebus is also a member of the Archons, a lay group of Orthodox Christian men who have devoted service to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
On being Greek, in his own words, he said in the Hellenext interview that “I am proud to be Greek, it is a blessing from God to be Greek.”
Cover photo from Archons’ website.
4 comments
Yassas Kirie Priebus,
My name is Athena Kalandros and I live in Groton New York. My Nonos was very proud of the relationship of the Greek influence in American Politics. God has taken him to a better place…but in his grave in Athens Argiroupolis…he is I’m sure crying. He died watching the news.
Dear Reince Priebus, Our New Chief of Staff: We are so very proud of you and what you have achieved! As a fellow Greek Orthodox Christian young woman born here in Bergen County New Jersey ; I too am proud to have grown up in such a beautiful religion and warm hospitable loving culture. Not to mention we have Great Food! We are so proud and excited with the entire Trump administration and all you will do to improve and correct the problems in our country. As residents of the New York Metropolitan area( having spent much time in Manhattan & the state of New York) we have watched Donald Trump grow as a person and business man over the years , we are very proud of what he has achieved. God Bless you in all your endeavors to assist our new President in achieving his goals and promises to the American people. Hope to meet you in person one day! Sincerely, Thanie Callas
i saw you on meet the press just now, i like your style!!! keep it up, trump will do good by you
what a shame. we have a half Greek person in Trump administration, and who is proud Greek and proud orthodox person. there was no Greece before 1830, Otto, a A son of king of Bavaria Ludvig help and united all Greeks to have country. from 2000 a year when Greece joined European Union till 2010 they borrow $550 billion from international monetary fond. and the European Banks, and American banks also. the rest is history. Greece is only 11 million people and are totally bankrupt, also Greece do not recognize any minority there,