Donald J Trump is a well known elite person of the United States. He is an American politician, businessman, and media personality who served as the 45th president of the United States(2017-2021) and the Republican candidate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Trump is 78 years old in 2024 (born on June 14, 1946), he is standing at a height of 6 feet 3 inches and his weight 110 kg (240 pounds)
Trump is the fourth of five children. He attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor of Science in economics in 1968. In 1971, Trump took control of his family’s real estate business, renaming it the Trump Organization. He expanded the company’s focus to include skyscrapers, hotels, and golf courses. Trump also gained fame as the co-producer and host of the reality TV show The Apprentice from 2004 to 2015.
Trump entered politics in 2016, winning the U.S. presidential election as the Republican nominee. The investigation determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 elections to favor Trump. Throughout his campaigns and presidency, he promoted various conspiracy theories and made numerous false and misleading claims, which were unprecedented in American politics. Many of his remarks and actions have been criticized for being racially insensitive, divisive, and misogynistic.
As president, Trump implemented a travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, redirected military funds to build a U.S.–Mexico border wall, and enforced a family separation policy. He rolled back over 100 environmental regulations and signed the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Trump appointed Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. His response to COVID-19 was slow and often contradicted health officials. He initiated a trade war with China and withdrew the U.S. from key international agreements, including the Paris Agreement and the Iran nuclear deal.
Trump is the only U.S. president impeached twice: in 2019 for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and in 2021 for inciting the Capitol insurrection. He was acquitted both times. After losing the 2020 election to Biden, Trump refused to concede, falsely claiming electoral fraud and attempting to overturn the results. He urged his supporters to march on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, leading to an attack. Trump also took credit for the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Scholars rank him among the worst U.S. presidents in history.
Personal life
Donald Trump, born June 14, 1946, in Queens, New York, is the fourth child of Fred and Mary Anne Trump. He attended the New York Military Academy at 13 and later transferred from Fordham University to the Wharton School, graduating with a degree in economics in 1968. In 2015, Trump’s lawyer warned his schools against releasing his academic records.
While in college, Trump received four draft deferments during the Vietnam War. In 1968, he was classified 1-Y due to bone spurs and later reclassified as 4-F in 1972, permanently disqualifying him from military service.
Family
Trump married Czech model Ivana Zelníčková in 1977, and they had three children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. They divorced in 1990 after his affair with Marla Maples, whom he married in 1993. They had one daughter, Tiffany, before divorcing in 1999. In 2005, Trump married Slovenian model Melania Knauss, and they have a son, Barron. Raised Presbyterian, Trump later identified as a non-denominational Christian in 2020. In 2019, he appointed televangelist Paula White to the White House Office of Public Liaison.
Health & Wealth
Trump claims that alcohol, smoking and drugs makes a man weaker and they aren’t able to use their real potential. He has never consumed alcohol, smoked, or used drugs and sleeps about four to five hours a night. He enjoys golfing as his main exercise but avoids walking the course, believing exercise depletes the body’s energy like a battery. In 2015, his campaign released a letter from Dr. Harold Bornstein declaring Trump the ‘healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.’ In 2018, Bornstein revealed that Trump had dictated the letter and that his medical records were taken by Trump’s agents in a 2017 office raid.
In 1982, Trump made the Forbes list of wealthy people due to his share of his family’s $200 million net worth. However, his losses in the 1980s caused him to drop off the list until 1995. In 2015, he claimed a net worth of $10 billion, but records showed at least $1.4 billion in assets and $265 million in liabilities. Forbes estimated his wealth dropped by $1.4 billion between 2015 and 2018, and by 2024, his net worth was estimated at $2.3 billion.
Trump has been accused of exaggerating his wealth, including using the alias “John Barron” to falsely claim more than 90% ownership of his father’s business. He often stated he started with “a small loan of a million dollars” from his father but had actually received at least $413 million in inflation-adjusted dollars. Reporting says that Donald Trump and his family committed tax fraud, In 2018.
Contrary to claims of financial success, Trump’s tax returns from 1985 to 1994 showed net losses of $1.17 billion, with $915.7 million lost in 1995 alone. His income mostly came from The Apprentice and minority-owned businesses, while his losses stemmed from majority-owned ventures. By 2020, he had over $1.3 billion in debts, with $640 million owed to banks and trust organizations, and much of it secured by his assets.
Business Career
1. Real Estate Empire
Donald Trump began working at his father’s real estate company, Trump Management, in 1968. The company primarily managed racially segregated, middle-class rental housing in New York City’s outer boroughs. In 1971, Trump came out as the president of the company, with rebranding his organization as the Trump Organization.
Over the years, he ventured into high-profile projects like the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan and several casinos in Atlantic City. Between 1991 and 2009, Trump filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection six times for these businesses, including Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts.
Manhattan Ventures
Trump gained public attention in 1978 with the renovation of the derelict Commodore Hotel near Grand Central Terminal, financed through a $400 million tax abatement arranged by his father. The hotel reopened as the Grand Hyatt Hotel in 1980, the same year Trump obtained rights to develop Trump Tower, a mixed-use skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, which became his primary residence and headquarters.
Plaza Hotel & Financial Troubles
In 1988, Trump acquired the Plaza Hotel, but it filed for bankruptcy in 1992. Trump defaulted on over $3 billion in loans in 1995, leading to a “humiliating restructuring” where banks seized the Plaza and other properties, allowing him to avoid personal bankruptcy.
40 Wall Street & Riverside South
In 1996, Trump renovated and rebranded the 71-story skyscraper at 40 Wall Street as the Trump Building. He later sold most of his interest in the Riverside South project near the Hudson River in 1994, as debt from other ventures mounted.
Trump International Hotel & Tower (Chicago)
Trump’s last major construction was the 92-story Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, opened in 2008. In 2024, the IRS investigated whether Trump had written off construction losses on his tax returns, claiming the building was worthless in 2008.
2. Casino Ventures
Harrah’s at Trump Plaza
In 1984, Trump opened Harrah’s at Trump Plaza with financing and management help from Holiday Corporation. After unprofitable performance, Trump took sole control in 1986 by paying Holiday $70 million.
Trump Castle & Bankruptcy
In 1985, Trump purchased the unopened Atlantic City Hilton Hotel, renaming it Trump Castle. Both Trump Plaza and Trump Castle filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1992.
Trump Taj Mahal
In 1988, Trump acquired the Trump Taj Mahal, financed with $675 million in junk bonds and completed for $1.1 billion in 1990. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1991, with Trump giving up half his stake and selling assets like his Trump Shuttle airline and megayacht to reduce $900 million in personal debt.
Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts
In 1995, Trump founded Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR), taking control of the Plaza, Taj Mahal, and Trump Castle. THCR went bankrupt in 2004 and 2009, leaving Trump with 10% ownership. He remained chairman until 2009.
Clubs
In 1985, This time Trump purchased an estate well known as the Mar-a-Lago situated in Palm Beach, Florida. Ten years later, he converted it into a private club, generating income through initiation fees and annual dues while keeping a private wing for himself. In 2019, Trump declared Mar-a-Lago as his primary residence. Starting in 1999, the Trump Organization expanded into golf properties, building and acquiring several courses. It now owns fourteen Trump-branded courses and manages three others worldwide, making golf a significant part of Trump’s real estate portfolio.
3. Side Ventures
In 1983, Trump bought the New Jersey Generals, a USFL team, but the league folded after his failed attempt to move to a fall schedule to compete with the NFL. Trump also hosted boxing matches at the Plaza Hotel and created the Tour de Trump cycling race. In the late 1980s, he bought and sold large stock holdings for profit but later lost credibility in the stock market. He acquired the Trump Shuttle airline in 1988, defaulted on loans, and lost it to the banks by 1992.
Trump, along with family members, created All County Building Supply & Maintenance Corp. in 1992, allegedly inflating vendor bills to profit from rent-stabilized properties. From 1996 to 2015, Trump owned part of the Miss Universe pageants, moving them to NBC in 2002 but losing contracts in 2015.
In 2004, Trump co-founded Trump University, a real estate seminar business. It faced multiple lawsuits for fraud, leading Trump to settle for $25 million in 2016 after winning the presidency.
4. Donald J. Trump Foundation
The Donald J. Trump Foundation, established in 1988, initially received $5.4 million from Trump between 1987 and 2006. However, after 2008, Trump stopped contributing personally, with other donors, such as Vince McMahon, providing millions. The foundation supported health, sports, conservative causes, and charities holding events at Trump properties.
In 2016, The Washington Post reported potential legal violations, including self-dealing and tax evasion. That same year, the New York attorney general found the foundation in violation of state law for soliciting donations without proper audits, leading to an immediate fundraising halt in New York. In June 2018, a civil suit was filed against the foundation, Trump, and his children, seeking restitution. By December 2018, the foundation was dissolved, and its remaining assets were distributed to other charities. In November 2019, Trump was ordered to pay $2 million for misusing foundation funds, partly to finance his presidential campaign.
5. Legal Disputes and Bankruptcy Filings
Roy Cohn, Trump’s lawyer and mentor for 13 years in the 1970s and 1980s, often waived fees due to their close relationship. In 1973, with Cohn’s help, Trump countersued the U.S. government for $100 million over racial discrimination charges in his properties. The counterclaims were dismissed, leading to a settlement in 1975, which required Trump’s properties to report vacancies to the New York Urban League for two years.
According to USA Today, Trump and his businesses were involved in over 4,000 legal actions by 2018. Although Trump never filed for personal bankruptcy, his hotel and casino businesses filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection six times between 1991 and 2009. The businesses continued to operate as debt was restructured, reducing Trump’s stake. In the 1980s, Trump borrowed $4 billion from mp-ore than 70 banks. However, following corporate bankruptcies in the early 1990s, most banks, except Deutsche Bank, ceased lending to Trump. After the January 6 Capitol attack, Deutsche Bank also decided to end its business relationship with Trump.
