Who is Donald Trump?

 by Isobel Firth

(Library of Congress)

Donald J. Trump is the 45th president of the United States of America (until 20th January, 2021). He has become a political figure head but who is behind this leader?

Donald John Trump was born on 14th June, 1946, in Queens, New York, to Fred and Mary Anne Macleod Trump. He attended Kew Forest school from reception until Year 8, before, aged 13, going to the New York Military Academy. He attended Fordham University and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Trump had an older sister, Maryanne, older brother, Fred Jr (deceased), younger sister Elizabeth and younger brother Robert (deceased).  

Before he became a politician, Trump worked in his father's business, becoming president of the business in 1971, changing its name to the Trump Organisation. In 1980, Trump obtained rights to expand the Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan, which would be his primary residence until 2019. He has at least three other estates, including Palm Beach (Florida) and various golf courses in the USA and Scotland. Between 1989 and 2009, Trump went bankrupt six times. However, his performance as a billionaire on The Apprentice made him a household name (he also had cameo roles in eight films and now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame) - before becoming President, Trump was thus as much a media figure as a business figure and arguably more successful as the former than the latter. 

Part of what helped make him famous in the media was his complicated and colourful personal life. He was married to Ivana in 1977 with whom he had three children, Don Jr (1977), Ivanka (1981) and Eric (1984). After his affair with actor and model Marla Maples went public in the tabloids, he divorced Ivana and married Marla (1993); their daughter, Tiffany, was born in 1993. They divorced in 1999 and Trump married for a third time in 2005, to Melania, with whom he has a son Barron (born 2006). 

As a businessman and media figure, Trump had a transactional relationship with politics, supporting whichever party he considered best for his business interests; he was a Republican from 1987-1999, 2009-now, but a Reform Party member from 1999-2001 and Democrat from 2001-2009. He first ran as a party candidate for president for the Reform Party in 2000, but dropped out of the race pretty quickly; many saw it as a publicity stunt, which people also assumed when he ran for president in 2016 (but were proven wrong). In November 2016, as Republican candidate, he was elected president. However, in November 2020, he was defeated by Democratic candidate Joseph R Biden, and will thus step down as presidency on 20 January, 2021. Most American presidents are re-elected for a second term, so Trump will be the only one-term president in the last fifty years except Jimmy Carter and George HW Bush Sr. 

His record of President has led to him being judged by many historians as the worst president in American history. Some would argue that there have been successes, such as aspects of his trade policy with China and the fact America has not been involved in major wars. Conservatives were happy with his tax cuts. However, his Covid-19 response has been widely criticised, with America having one of the worst Covid rates in the world, in no small part because of his refusal to take action or even to acknowledge the pandemic or the economic consequences as significant problems to be addressed. He has also been impeached by Congress, for trying to bribe the Ukrainian government to smear the reputation of his political rival, Joe Biden. Furthermore, a significant number of Trump Cabinet members have had to resign for corruption. Trump's immigration policies and his response to the killing of African-Americans by police officers have been seen as racist by many Americans. At present, his refusal to acknowledge defeat in the election and his refusal to engage with Biden in organising a smooth handover of power has been unlike any other president in history. Trump is currently suggesting he will run for president again in 2024. Publicity stunt or reality? We will soon find out.