President Donald Trump

Donald John Trump (June 14, 1946 - Present) was the 45th President of the United States from January 20, 2017 to January 20, 2025. Prior to entering politics, Trump was a businessman and a television personality.

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Career Prior to Politics
Trump started his career at his father's real estate development company, Elizabeth Trump and Son, which focused on middle-class rental housing in the New York City boroughs outside Manhattan, but also had business elsewhere.

Trump was promoted to president of the company in 1971 and renamed it, The Trump Organization. In 1978, Trump consummated his first major real estate deal in Manhattan when he purchased a half-share in the decrepit Commodore Hotel. The purchase was largely funded by a $70 million construction loan that was jointly guaranteed by Fred Trump and the Hyatt hotel chain. Designed by architect Der Scutt, the project was able to proceed by leveraging competing interests and by taking advantage of tax breaks. After remodeling, the hotel reopened as the Grand Hyatt Hotel, located next to Grand Central Terminal.

Repairs on the Wollman Rink (originally opened in 1949 in Central Park) were started in 1980 by a general contractor unconnected to Trump. Despite an expected two and one-half year construction schedule, the repairs were not completed by 1986. Trump took over the project, completed it in three months for $775,000 less than the initial budget of $1.95 million, and operated the rink for one year with all profits going to charity in exchange for the rink's concession rights.

Trump acquired the historic Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida in 1985 for $5 million, plus $3 million for the home's furnishings. The home was built in the 1920s by heiress and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, who envisioned the house as a future winter retreat for American presidents.

The Apprentice
In 2003, Trump became the executive producer and host of the NBC reality show The Apprentice, in which a group of competitors battled for a high-level management job in one of Trump's commercial enterprises. Contestants were successively "fired" and eliminated from the game. For the first year of the show, Trump earned $50,000 per episode (roughly $700,000 for the first season), but following the show's initial success, he was paid $1 million per episode.

On February 16, 2015, NBC announced that they would be renewing The Apprentice for a 15th season. On February 27, Trump stated that he was "not ready" to sign on for another season because of the possibility of a presidential run.

After Trump's election campaign and presidential win led to his departure from the program, actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced Trump as host for the fifteenth season.

U.S. Presidential Election of 2016
Trump announced his bid for the Presidency on June 16, 2015 bringing attention to issues concerning illegal immigration and offshoring of American jobs.

Using the slogan "Make America Great Again", Trump ran for the Republican Party's nomination in a crowded field of 17 major candidates. Trump was successful in winning over the necessary demographics in the Republican primaries to defeat his powerful challengers including Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).

After the Republican National Convention, Trump and his newly nominated Vice-Presidential candidate, Governor Mike Pence (R-IN), faced off against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) of the Democratic Party.

Despite the numerous odds against him, Trump was able to win over the blue-collar working class of the Rust Belt and Great Lakes region, successfully winning back Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania from longtime Democratic control.

First Term (2017 - 2021)



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