Donald Trump has been a prominent figure in the public eye for decades, so long that many may have forgotten what first brought him into the spotlight.
Here’s a look at his journey, from a business mogul and TV personality to the unlikely politician who once said he had no interest in entering politics and is now eyeing a second term in the world’s most influential political office.
Donald Trump is seeking a second term in the White House. Source: Getty, AFP / Mandel Ngan
Trump’s formative years
Born on 14 June 1946 to wealthy parents of German and Scottish origins, Trump is the fourth child of New York real estate tycoon Fred Trump and Mary Anne MacLeod.
He was sent to the New York Military Academy at age 13 after exhibiting misbehaviour in school, and at the time, has been described as “a five-year lesson in bullying” by his classmates.
Trump first enrolled at Fordham University, a private research institution in New York City, where he studied for two years before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, from where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1968.
He frequently reminisces about his time at Wharton, boasting about attending what he calls the “hardest school to get into” and “the best business school”.
Donald Trump said he began his career with a “small” loan of one million dollars from his father Fred Trump. Source: Getty / New York Daily News Archive
Dual path to fame before politics
Successfully managing to avoid being drafted to military service many times (also during the Vietnam War) on the back of college and medical deferments, Trump wasted no time and joined his father’s business full-time as soon as he graduated.
He helped expand the business by purchasing properties outside of New York City and became the family company’s president in 1971, renaming it The Trump Organization.
Despite downplaying his family’s wealth and portraying himself as a self-starter, Trump borrowed a “small” amount of US$1 million ($1.486 million) from his father to launch his business empire.
However, it has been reported that the financial help and support that he received from his family might have been to the tune of at least US$60.7 million ($90.1 million) — much of which was never repaid.
Donald Trump joined the family business and became its president in 1971. Source: Getty / Bettmann
In the 1980s, Trump became a symbol of opulence, with his name featured on skyscrapers, casinos, and luxury hotels.
His reach extended beyond major American cities like Atlantic City, Chicago, and Las Vegas to international locations, including India, Türkiye, and the Philippines.
At one point, he claimed to have a net worth of billions, though financial records and investigations have often challenged these assertions.
Several ventures, particularly his Atlantic City casinos, ended in bankruptcy, raising questions about how much of his wealth was truly self-made and how much was bolstered by his father’s financial support.
Donald Trump’s personal brand received a significant boost from the reality TV show The Apprentice. Source: Getty / Bill Tompkins
Trump’s media presence expanded beyond real estate in the 1990s, with cameo appearances in shows like The Nanny and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, where his wealth and fame made him an ideal character to play himself.
However, his big break in TV came in 2004 with NBC’s reality TV show The Apprentice, where Trump served as the host and executive producer.
The show, with its famous “You’re fired!” catchphrase, helped solidify his image as a savvy, tough businessman and contributed greatly to his public persona.
He also owned the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants until 2015, further expanding his influence in the entertainment world.
Political outsider turns insider
During his days as a media personality, Trump had shown reluctance towards joining politics, describing it as “a very mean life”, suggesting that “the most capable people” would choose the business world instead.
However, by 1987, he began teasing a presidential bid.
Donald Trump was sworn in as the United States’ 45th president on 20 January 2017. Source: Getty / Scott Olson
Trump briefly explored entering the 2000 presidential race with the Reform Party but eventually withdrew.
His political affiliations shifted five times since he first registered as a Republican in 1987.
When he considered a run again in 2012, he returned to the Republican Party.
He ultimately decided not to enter the race but maintained a high-profile presence in the media, often discussing political issues and criticising the then-president Barack Obama.
Trump’s most significant political move came in 2015 when he officially announced his candidacy for the presidency in the 2016 election as a Republican, which was not taken seriously by many political experts at the time.
His campaign was marked by a populist tone, promises to “Make America Great Again,” and a focus on immigration and trade.
His unorthodox approach and ability to attract media attention helped him secure the Republican nomination and ultimately led to a surprising victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton, resulting in.
At the time, American data and research outlet FiveThirtyEight.com analysed 1106 opinion polls, most of which indicated the results would go in Clinton’s favour. But Trump upset the polls when he was declared the winner.
Unconventional presidency
During his presidency, Trump distinguished himself from previous leaders by using Twitter (now known as X) as a primary platform for sharing his thoughts, making announcements, and engaging directly with the public.
He made headlines for several significant actions, including withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement and becoming the first sitting US president to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Donald Trump became the first sitting US president to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018. Source: AAP
Trump also launched a trade war with China, enacted record tax cuts, banned travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, and reshaped Middle Eastern relations.
His push to build a wall along the US-Mexico border became one of his most contentious policies, with critics calling it divisive, while he saw it as key to strengthening national security.
also drew scrutiny, particularly regarding the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump was the first president to be impeached twice.
The first impeachment was over accusations that he pressured a foreign government to investigate his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, but he was acquitted by the Senate.
The second impeachment followed the which happened just before he left office.
In the 2020 election, Trump lost the race to Biden by more than seven million votes, but he denied the election results and rallied his supporters in Washington on 6 January 2021, leading to a violent riot in the heart of American politics witnessed by the world on TV.
More than 1,000 Americans have been convicted in the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol. Source: AAP
Soon after the rioting, Trump took to Twitter to express support for the rioters, even calling them “patriots”, amongst other tweets that led to his personal account being suspended from the social media platform. In a statement released on 8 January 2021, Twitter stated this decision was taken “due to the risk of further incitement of violence”.
Resilient comeback for 2024 re-election
Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results failed, and since leaving the presidency, he has faced 91 felony charges across four criminal cases which stem from allegations related to his alleged involvement in reversing his electoral defeat, his handling of classified documents, and payments made to an adult film star as “hush money”.
He was found guilty by a New York jury in all 34 charges of conspiring to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election by way of hush money payment to an adult star who said she had sex with him.
These controversies have repeatedly drawn attention to his personal life, which includes a history of alleged affairs throughout his tumultuous marital history comprising three marriages and five children.
Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, welcomed their son Barron in 2006. Source: Getty / Chip Somodevilla
Despite the legal challenges, Trump announced his third presidential run in November 2022.
The significant opposition notwithstanding, including from his former vice president, Mike Pence, Trump successfully secured the Republican Party’s nomination.
At age 78, he is now the oldest person to run for president, following Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
During a campaign event on 13 July,, injuring his right ear.
Just over two months later, , who spotted a gunman hiding in the bushes at Trump’s golf club in Florida. Trump reportedly survived when local police allegedly arrested an armed suspect at a checkpoint near the venue.
Despite these threats, Trump remains undeterred, pledging to advance his agenda focused on strengthening national security, boosting the economy, and restoring law and order in America.
In his rallies, Trump has promised several tax breaks, including those on tips, social security and overtime pay without detailing how he would fund those ideas or avoid creating a budget shortfall.
On abortion, he advocates for state-level decision-making and does not support a federal ban.
In terms of immigration, he promises mass deportations of people who do not have legal permission to be in the country and stringent border security measures.
Regarding foreign policy, he says he could swiftly resolve the Ukraine war, although he has not provided specific details.
Additionally, he pledges to ensure the US remains a leader in oil and gas production, reduce energy prices by more than half, and reverse Biden’s electric vehicle policies.
Trump has indicated that he does not believe he would run for office again in four years if he loses the upcoming election in November.
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