Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. He graduated from the Wharton School in 1968 and took over his father’s real estate business, renaming it the Trump Organization.
Trump expanded the company’s activities by undertaking the construction and revitalization of structures, including buildings, hotels, casinos, and golf courses. He also ventured into licensing deals to leverage his name for various business projects.
Trump gained further fame through his co-production and hosting of the reality TV series “The Apprentice” from 2004 to 2015.
Throughout his career, Trump and his businesses were involved in numerous legal actions, including six corporate bankruptcies. In 2016, he won the presidential election as the Republican nominee, defeating Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote.
Trump’s campaign was characterized by populist, protectionist, isolationist, and nationalist positions. As the first president without prior military or government service, his election and policies sparked protests and controversies.
During his presidency, Trump implemented policies such as a travel ban targeting citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, diverting military funds for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, and implementing family separations for apprehended migrants. He rolled back over 100 environmental policies and regulations, signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, appointed federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, initiated a trade war with China, and withdrew from international agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Paris Agreement, and Iran nuclear deal.
Controversies Surrounding Trump
Trump faced criticism for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as he was accused of downplaying the severity of the virus, contradicting health officials, and spreading misinformation.
In the 2020 presidential election, Trump lost to Joe Biden but refused to concede, making baseless claims of widespread electoral fraud and attempting to overturn the results through legal challenges and pressuring officials.
On January 6, 2021, he encouraged his followers to mobilize toward the U.S. Capitol, leading to a rowdy assault that disrupted the tallying process.
Trump’s Double Impeachment
Trump is the only U.S. president to be impeached twice. He was impeached in 2019 by the House of Representatives for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to pressuring Ukraine, and again in 2021 for incitement of insurrection following the Capitol attack.
He was acquitted both times by the Senate. Trump currently faces recommendations of criminal charges related to the Capitol attack and obstruction of an official proceeding.
Since leaving office, Trump has remained actively involved in the Republican Party. In November 2022, he announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
Additionally, he has faced legal troubles, including indictments on felony counts of falsifying business records and handling classified documents.
Trump’s Personal Life
Early Life
Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, New York City. He grew up in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood with his siblings and attended the private Kew-Forest School. At the age of 13, he enrolled at the New York Military Academy before later transferring to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1968 with a B.S. in economics. During the Vietnam War era, Trump obtained four student draft deferments, and in 1972, he was permanently disqualified from military service due to bone spurs.
Family Life
In 1977, Donald Trump married Czech model Ivana Trump. They had three children together: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. Ivana later became a naturalized United States citizen. However, the couple divorced in 1990 due to Trump’s affair with actress Marla Maples.
Trump then married Marla in 1993, but they divorced in 1999. They have one daughter, Tiffany, who was primarily raised by Marla in California.
In 2005, Trump married Slovenian model Melania Knauss, and they have one son, Barron, who was born in 2006. Melania obtained U.S. citizenship in 2006.
Religion
Donald Trump attended Sunday school and was confirmed in 1959 at the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens. In the 1970s, his parents became members of the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan, affiliated with the Reformed Church in America.
The pastor at Marble, Norman Vincent Peale, served as a mentor to Trump until his death in 1993. However, the church stated in 2015 that Trump was not an active member.
In 2019, Trump appointed televangelist Paula White as his personal pastor and appointed her to the White House Office of Public Liaison. In 2020, he identified himself as a non-denominational Christian.
Trump’s Health Habits and Controversies
Donald Trump considers golfing as his primary form of exercise, although he typically does not walk the course. He has expressed the belief that exercise depletes the body’s energy like a battery.
In 2015, his campaign released a letter from his personal physician, Harold Bornstein, claiming that Trump would be the healthiest individual ever elected as president. However, in 2018, Bornstein stated that Trump had dictated the letter’s contents and that his medical records were seized by three Trump agents during a raid on his office in February 2017.
Trump’s Business Career
Trump’s Real Estate Ventures and Bankruptcy Challenges
Donald Trump began working at his father’s real estate company, Trump Management, in 1968. The company owned middle-class rental housing in New York City’s outer boroughs.
By 1971, Trump became the president of the company and established the Trump Organization as an umbrella brand.
However, between 1991 and 2009, he faced financial difficulties and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for six of his businesses, including the Plaza Hotel, the Atlantic City casinos, and the Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts company.
Mar-a-Lago: Trump’s Palm Beach Estate and Private Club
In 1985, Donald Trump purchased the Mar-a-Lago estate located in Palm Beach, Florida. Transforming the property into a private club, he introduced an initiation fee and annual dues for members.
While converting most of the estate into a club, Trump maintained a personal residence within a wing of the house. Notably, in 2019, he officially declared Mar-a-Lago as his primary residence.
Trump’s Manhattan Ventures
Donald Trump made a notable entry into Manhattan’s real estate scene in 1978 with the renovation of the rundown Commodore Hotel near Grand Central Terminal. The project received significant financing and tax abatement, resulting in the opening of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in 1980.
During the same year, Trump secured the rights to develop Trump Tower, a prominent mixed-use skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan that served as his primary residence.
In 1988, Trump acquired the iconic Plaza Hotel with a loan, but the hotel faced financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy protection in 1992.
However, a reorganization plan was approved shortly after. To address his mounting debts, Trump sold the Plaza Hotel and several other properties in 1995, successfully avoiding personal bankruptcy.
Continuing his Manhattan ventures, Trump acquired the largely vacant 40 Wall Street skyscraper in 1996, which was later rebranded as the Trump Building after a renovation.
In the early 1990s, he also secured the rights to develop a 70-acre tract in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, known as Riverside South. However, struggling with financial challenges, Trump sold a significant portion of his interest in the project to Asian investors in 1994, enabling its completion.
Despite facing ups and downs, Trump’s involvement in Manhattan developments left a lasting impact on the city’s skyline and real estate landscape.
Trump’s Golf Empire
In 1999, the Trump Organization embarked on a venture into the world of golf, constructing and acquiring golf courses. Currently, the organization owns fourteen courses and manages an additional three globally under the Trump brand.
Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump maintained a notable presence at Trump Organization properties, with approximately 428 visits occurring over his 1,461-day tenure. An avid golfer, he played an estimated 261 rounds of golf during his presidency, averaging a game every 5.6 days. His passion for the sport was evident in his regular participation on the green.
Trump’s Political Affiliations
Donald Trump’s political party affiliation has undergone multiple changes throughout his career. He initially registered as a Republican in 1987. However, his party affiliation timeline includes being a member of the Independence Party (the New York state affiliate of the Reform Party) in 1999, a Democrat in 2001, and then returning to the Republican Party in 2009.
He briefly became unaffiliated in 2011 before rejoining the Republican Party in 2012.
In 1987, Trump used full-page newspaper advertisements to express his views on foreign policy and eliminate the federal budget deficit. Although he ruled out running for local office at the time, he did not dismiss the possibility of running for the presidency.
In 1988, he even approached Lee Atwater, requesting consideration as the running mate for Republican nominee George H. W. Bush. Bush, however, found this request “strange and unbelievable.
Trump’s 2024 Presidential Campaign Amidst Legal Challenges
Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 United States presidential election on November 15, 2022, and initiated a fundraising account. However, his campaign is taking place against the backdrop of ongoing legal challenges.
In March 2023, a New York grand jury indicted Trump on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records. Following his arrest and arraignment on April 4, Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released. The next in-person hearing is scheduled for December 4, with Trump having until August 8 to file any motions in the case.
Furthermore, on June 8, the Justice Department indicted Trump in Miami federal court on multiple counts, including willfully retaining national defense information, making false statements, and various charges related to obstructing justice. The case has been assigned to Judge Aileen M. Cannon. Trump has entered a plea of “not guilty” for all charges.