Donald Trump 101: Discover How Donald Became a Billionaire

Donald Trump is an American politician, media figure, and businessman who served as the 45th President of the United States for four years. He was the Republican nominee in the 2016 US Presidential Election, defeating the Democratic Party’s nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to become the President of the United States. Trump took office on January 20, 2017, and served until January 20, 2021, when Joe Biden succeeded him.

Who is Donald Trump?

Donald Trump was born on June 14, 1946, in a hospital in the Queens borough of New York City. He was the fourth child of real estate developer Fred Trump and his wife, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, a Scottish immigrant. Trump grew up with his older siblings Maryanne, Fred Jr., and Elizabeth, and his younger brother Robert.

At the age of 13, Donald Trump enrolled at the New York Military Academy, and later attended Fordham University and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After completing his studies, he was deemed fit for military service, but was exempted due to a health condition. Trump began his business career working for his father.

Donald Trump and Business Career

In 1968, Donald Trump started his business career at his father’s real estate firm, Trump Management. Three years later, in 1971, he took over the business from his father and renamed the organization “The Trump Organization.”

Throughout his career, Trump has played a role in developing various projects, including hotels, resorts, residential and commercial buildings, casinos, and golf courses. In 1978, he first gained public attention for renovating the abandoned Commodore Hotel next to Grand Central Terminal, which was reopened in 1980 as the Grand Hyatt Hotel. He also began the construction of the Trump Tower in New York City, which served as the headquarters of the Trump Corporation until 2019, when he changed his permanent residence to Florida.

Plaza Hotel and Trump Building

In 1988, Trump purchased the Plaza Hotel for $425 million with a loan. However, in 1995, he sold the hotel along with most of his other properties to pay off his debts. The following year, he purchased the 71-story skyscraper at 40 Wall Street, most of which was vacant at the time, and rebranded it as the Trump Building. Originally known as the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building, it is now more commonly referred to as 40 Wall Street.

Donald Trump and Mar-a-Lago

Mar-a-Lago, a private club in Palm Beach, Florida, was purchased by Donald Trump in 1985. In 1995, Trump converted the property into a private club that requires an initiation fee and annual dues. Trump continues to use a portion of the property as his residence and has lived there full-time since 2019.

Donald Trump and Politics

Since the 1980s, Trump had periodically considered running for President of the United States and had occasionally expressed his interest in doing so. However, most people viewed this as nothing more than a pipe dream.

In 1999, Trump switched his voter registration from the Republican Party to the Reform Party and established an exploratory committee for a presidential run. However, he did not run for president. In 2012, Trump re-joined the Republican Party, which he had left years earlier, and began to play a more active role in politics. He announced his candidacy for President in 2015 and won the Republican nomination the following year.

Presidential Campaign and Election Victory

Political analysts did initially not seriously take Donald Trump’s campaign, but he quickly rose to the top in public opinion polls. In March 2016, he won the party’s primary race and was announced as the Republican Party’s candidate in May. In July 2016, Trump announced Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate.

In the presidential race, the Democratic candidate was former Secretary of State and experienced politician Hillary Clinton. Clinton was ahead of Trump in national poll averages throughout her campaign. Although the gap narrowed a bit over time, the public seemed sure that Clinton would win the presidential race.

On November 8, 2016, Trump won a lead of 304 to 227 electoral votes over his opponent Clinton and was elected as the 45th President of the United States. Trump, the only president who had not served in the military or held any government office before becoming president, took office on January 20, 2017, succeeding Barack Obama.

Donald Trump and His Presidency

Donald Trump made history as a highly controversial US President. With his controversial history, every word he said was an event, and he served as President of the United States for one term (four years).

As president, he led the passage of a major tax reform bill into law. He restructured tariffs on foreign aluminium, steel, and other products with protectionist trade policies. He renegotiated trade agreements with Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, and South Korea to favour the United States. He also led various efforts on issues such as Supreme Court and federal judicial appointments, increased military budgets, aggressive border and immigration control, criminal justice reform, and lowering prescription drug prices.

In foreign policy, the Trump administration moved the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and brokered normalization agreements between Israel and a number of other countries. In 2018, Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, becoming the first US president to meet with the North Korean leader.

However, in the next election, the 2020 election, Donald Trump lost to his Democratic opponent Joe Biden and left the presidency. However, the former president announced in November 2022 that he would once again run for the Presidency of the United States and is a candidate for 2024.