Donald John Trump, an American born business magnate TV star and politician who served as the 45th President of the United States from January 20, 2017 to January 20, 2021. Sir Donald J. Trump is known for having a larger than life personality that has had significant impact on both business and politics in America.
Early Life and Education
Fred Trump was a successful house builder while Mary Anne Macleod Donald Trump had five children with him fourth of who was Donald. In his younger years, growing up in affluent Jamaica Estates New York City exposed him to real estate. He started misbehaving when he was thirteen, which made him leave Kew-Forest school in Queens for the New York Military Academy. The military academy’s structure as well as discipline shaped him greatly.
Trump attended Fordham University for two years before transferring to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated with a BSc (Economic) degree in 1968. His time at Wharton taught him basic principles about carrying out business transactions that he would apply later in life when involved in real estate dealings.
Business Career
The Trump Organization
After finishing school, Trump started working in his father’s real estate firm, Elizabeth Trump & Son, and later renamed it The Trump Organization. In the 1970s, he began to make a name for himself in the Manhattan realty market. An example of this occurred when he converted the Commodore Hotel into the Grand Hyatt New York that was completed by 1980.
Expansion and Branding
Trump’s real estate empire grew throughout the 1980s and 1990s with several landmark buildings such as Trump Tower, Trump Plaza and Trump World Tower. He would always design his properties so that they carried his name quite prominently hence turning “Trump” into a symbol of wealthiest and splendour.
In addition to property management, Sir Donald J. Trump tried his luck in other fields. He owned Miss Universe as well as Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants from 1996 to 2015.Two years earlier, he had launched what has been a highly successful reality TV show called The Apprentice which ran till four years ago. Its popularity added even more fame to him besides highlighting his skills in business.
Problems in Finances and Recovery
Trump’s business career was tough. He had financial problems in the early 1990s, which escalated into high-profile bankruptcies of his casinos and other businesses. However, he restructured his debt and embraced new investment opportunities.
Political Career
Ambitions for Early Politics
Before being elected president, Trump flirted with political ambitions on many occasions. In the year 2000, he sought nomination for the Reform Party presidency but later withdrew it. He changed affiliations severally shifting between Democrats and Republicans.
2016 Presidential Campaign
On June 16, 2015, Trump announced that he was running to be nominated by the party as its presidential candidate. His unconventional mannerisms characterized by frank talk about immigration as well as trade and national security set him apart from other candidates during his campaign. In fact, many pundits initially dismissed him; however, Trump became extremely popular winning the Republican primaries. The competition between Trump and Hillary Clinton who was the former Secretary of State took place in the general election. His campaign centered on “Make America Great Again” attracting to many voters who believed that they had been abandoned by politicians. On November 8, 2016, Trump emerged as the president; he garnered 304 electoral votes against Clinton’s 227, even though he did not win the popular vote.
Presidency (2017-2021)
The presidency of Trump experienced significant accomplishments, as well as controversies. These include:
- Economic Policies: Tax Reduction and Jobs Act of 2017 saw Trump rolling out tax cuts to encourage economic growth. He also emphasized deregulation to stimulate business activities and promote economic growth.
- Trade and Tariffs: Trump re-negotiated existing trade deals including US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) while he imposed tariffs on Chinese goods in a bid to correct the imbalances in international trade.
- Foreign Policy: “America First” policy was evident when it came to his foreign policies. This led him to leave Paris Climate Change Agreement, Iran Nuclear Deal, or engage in direct talks with North Korea.
- Judicial Appointments: Brett Kavanaugh Neil Gorsuch Amy Coney Barrett are three examples of Supreme Court justices nominated by Trump who were appointed leaning more towards conservative majority.
- Impeachments: During his tenure as President, the Senate and House of Representatives twice impeached Donald Trump; first time was in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction regarding Ukraine, while second impeachment occurred in 2021 after he called for an insurrection following Capitol riot on January 6. The Senate acquitted him both times.
After the Presidency and the 2024 Campaign
Even after he had left office, Trump remained an important member of the Republican Party. At the Republican National Convention in July that year, he was declared the party’s nominee for president in 2024 after getting loads of votes.
Personal Life
Trump has been married thrice. From his first marriage to Ivana Trump, he got three children namely Eric, Ivanka and Donald Jr. Marla Maples became his wife after divorcing her in 1992 and they have a daughter called Tiffany together. Meanwhile, Melania Knauss became his spouse in 2005 and they have one child named Barron.
Philanthropy and Controversies
Nevertheless, Sir Donald J. Trump is known to be associated with quite number charitable activities throughout his life albeit some of which are not without their own controversies or questioned motives). However, apart from charity issues, other concerns regarding business dealings or personal misconducts also triggered several litigations as well as public arguments.
Donald John Trump, born in Queens, New York City and transforming into real estate icon and finally the 45th president of USA holds many unique model of transforming from a businessman to a president. The results are quite sensational, and still to this date, one can easily argue that Mr. Murdoch contributed to the business world, as well as the political arena in America. Being a two-term president, he is not through with politics as he moves to the 2024 presidential campaign; his political legacy will always be relevant in the political debate of the nation.
