Donald Trump: From Business Tycoon to President

Donald Trump divides opinion, that is something everyone agrees upon. A personality that is difficult to understand for many, even some of his close accomplices, he sure has shaken up the world with his bold and sometimes, controversial decisions. Donald Trump is in the news every day, sometimes for right and sometimes for wrong reasons. While the debate about what is right and wrong will continue between his supporters and critics, he sure knows how to attract attention.

Fact File

Full Name	Donald John Trump
Date of Birth	14th June, 1946
Place of Birth	Queens, New York
Parents	Frederick Christ Trump Sr. and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump
Siblings	Maryanne Trump Barry Fred Trump Jr Elizabeth Trump Robert Trump
Spouses	Ivana Zelinckova Winklmayr (1977-1992) Marla Maples (1993-1999) Melania Knauss (2005-Current)
Children	Donald Trump Jr. Ivanka Trump Eric Trump Tiffany Trump Barron Trump
Education	Kew-Forest School New York Military Academy Fordham University University of Pennsylvania (Warton School)
Company	The Trump Organization
Religion	Presbyterian and Maline Protestant
Net Worth	$3.1 Billion

Who is Donald Trump?

Donald John Trump is the most recent President of the United States and was elected to the post in November 2016 when he defeated Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton by a considerable margin. After a successful career as a businessman where he transformed the real estate business, Trump also made a name for himself as the host of famous reality television program called The Apprentice. He also owned the Miss America, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA until he decided to turn his attention towards politics. In July 2016 he was officially presented as the Republican candidate and the next year won the elections in an unexpected but resounding victory.

Early Life

Donald Trump was born to Frederick Christ Trump Sr. and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump on 14^th June 1946 in Queens, New York. His father, Frederick was a real estate developer who specialized in apartments for the middle class. Even though he belonged to a wealthy family, Donald Trump had to start from the bottom. Fourth out of the five children, Trump worked for his father’s company and even attended a military school where, barring some temperamental issues, he did well and also became a student leader. Later, he completed his degree in Economics from University of Pennsylvania.

His father had Alzheimer Disease in the last years of his life and died at the age of 93, the following year in 2000 Mary Trump also passed away. Both the parents, especially dad, was an influential figure in Donald’s life.

Father and Husband

Donald Trump has married three times, and Ivana Zelinckova Winklmayr was his first wife. She played a significant role within his company as the vice president. The couple had three children Donald Trump Junior, Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump. The couple decided to split in 1992 after a high-profile divorce case. Trump married Marla Maples the following year and had a daughter Tiffany Trump, but the marriage ended in 1999. Since 2005, Donald Trump is married to Melania Knauss, and they have a son Barron William Trump.

All three kids from the first wife worked for the Trump Organization at the post of senior executive and control the business, while Donald Trump worked as the Chief Executive. Ivanka left the post at the company to Join the President at the White House and now serves as an unpaid assistant along with her husband Jared Kushner, who is a senior adviser.

Business Tycoon

Although his father had an established business in the Brooklyn and Queens area, Donald Trump worked at the lowest level in the company and gradually made his way up. Finally, he aided the construction business along with Fredrick Trump for a few years and began his own construction business with a loan from his father, but soon made a name for himself and took control of the company in 1971. The group was named Trump Organization and shifted its focus towards the Manhattan region. The renovation of Grand Hyatt, Trump Palace, Trump World Tower are some of its main projects. Currently, he owns several towers in the United States and around the world, most famously in New York, Chicago, Mumbai, Panama City, Manila, and Istanbul.

According to Forbes Magazine, Donald Trump’s net worth is $3.1 billion as of September 2017 and it wasn’t until the elections that he published his tax returns. Half of total worth include the New York real estate; the rest include roughly $500-$550 million each in Golf Courses and Casinos while the cash, assets and brand business also accounts for $500 million.

Presidential Run

After announcing in 2012 that he will be contesting elections, it took around 4 years before Donald Trump was officially nominated as the Republican candidate in 2016. The Republican national convention had 2472 delegates and Donald Trump won 1441 of them to get the majority by defeating Ted Cruz who won 551 delegates.

The presidential campaign with the slogan of “Make America Great Again” against Hilary Clinton was one of the fiercest. Both the sides had their fair share of controversies. Donald Trump won the elections by a margin of 304 to 227 electoral votes even though he lost the popular vote by almost 2.9 million votes. Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45^th President of America on 20^th January 2017.