A deep look into the life of US President-elect Donald Trump – World

Trump was born on June 14, 1946 in the New York City borough of Queens, the fourth of five children of Fred Trump, who would become one of the city’s largest developers and landlords, and his wife. It was Fred Trump who taught Donald the value of self-promotion and a killer instinct.

By his own admission, Trump was not an easy child and in eighth grade his parents sent him to the New York Military Academy in the hope of instilling in him the necessary discipline.

By deferring students and doctors during the Vietnam War, Trump would never serve in the U.S. military, but said the school gave him “more military training than a lot of other people who go into the military.”

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Trump worked for his father’s company, which focused on the outskirts of New York City, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island, and owned an estimated 15,000 apartments.

In 1973, the Trumps were accused of racial bias in their rental practices before reaching a settlement with the U.S. government.

After earning a degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, he was chosen to succeed his father when his older brother Fred decided to become a pilot.

Fred Trump died at the age of 43 from alcoholism, which, according to Trump, led him to abstain from alcohol and cigarettes throughout his life.

With a $1 million loan from his father, Trump eventually set up his own business in Manhattan, where he became a regular at some of the city’s most exclusive clubs and developed a reputation as a womanizer.

Create a brand

When Trump took power, the family business shifted from residential units in Brooklyn and Queens to flashy projects in Manhattan.

He built Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue and converted the Commodore Hotel into the Grand Hyatt.

His rise to stardom continued in the entertainment world – first as owner of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants – and then as creator and host of the NBC reality show The Apprentice.

Other Trump-branded properties — casinos, condos, golf courses and hotels — sprung up around the world, from Atlantic City, Chicago and Las Vegas to India, Turkey and the Philippines.

The family

Trump’s personal life has been widely reported in the press. His first wife was Ivana Zelnickova, a Czech athlete and model. The couple had three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, before their divorce in 1990.

Amid allegations of domestic violence by his first wife, their divorce case made the front page of the tabloids. Although she later downplayed those allegations, they are also mentioned in a new film about Trump’s life.

He then married actress Marla Maples in 1993, who became his second wife two months after the birth of their only child, Tiffany. After six years of marriage, the couple finally divorced in 1999.

His third and current wife is Melania Knauss. She is a former model from Slovenia. They married in 2005 and have a son, Barron William Trump, who is now 18 years old.

Trump as president

From the first hours, he brought unparalleled drama to the job, often making formal announcements on Twitter (now X) and openly clashing with foreign leaders.

Under his presidency, the US withdrew from key climate and trade agreements, including the Paris Agreement, and made decisions such as recognizing Juraselum as Israel’s capital that were criticized even by allies.

He also imposed a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries, imposed strict immigration restrictions, fundamentally changed relations with many Middle Eastern countries, implemented record tax cuts and started a trade war with China.

As a special investigator spent nearly two years investigating alleged collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia, criminal charges were filed against 34 people – including for computer hacking and financial crimes. However, the investigation was unable to prove any criminal collaboration with Trump himself.

Not long after, Trump became the third U.S. president in history to be impeached on allegations that he pressured a foreign government to dig up information about Democratic opponent Joe Biden. He was impeached by a Democratic-led House but acquitted by a Republican-led Senate.

The coronavirus pandemic then became the main headline of his 2020 election year.

His handling of the pandemic, when the U.S. led the world in deaths and infections, was heavily criticized. He also made controversial comments, such as suggesting investigating whether Covid could be treated by injecting disinfectants into the body.

During the election campaign, he was diagnosed with Covid-19, which forced him to take a break.

After losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, he then amplified claims of widespread voter fraud — claims that have been debunked in more than 60 lawsuits.

Refusing to accept the results, Trump rallied supporters in Washington on Jan. 6 and urged them to rally at the Capitol as Biden’s victory was set to be formally certified by Congress.

That rally turned into an insurrection that endangered lawmakers and his own vice president and led to a historic second impeachment. Trump was again acquitted by the Senate, albeit by a smaller margin.

Two criminal cases are currently focusing on his actions on that fateful day.

Trump’s agenda for this election

Business

Trump wants to keep all individual tax rates from 2017, saying they boosted U.S. growth before the Covid-19 pandemic. Trump has promised to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits.

Trump has said he will double tariffs and propose a new 10 percent minimum tariff on all imported goods, as well as legislation that would match other countries’ tariffs dollar for dollar.

He has also promised to revoke China’s most favored nation trading status, which would result in an increase in standard tariffs on many Chinese imports.

Trump also wants to cut the corporate tax rate from 21 percent set in his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to 15 percent for companies that make their goods in the United States.

abortion

Trump opposes a federal abortion ban and says abortion laws should be set by individual states. Trump took credit for appointing three of the conservative justices who formed the majority in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 abortion ruling.

This decision ended recognition of a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion and allowed individual states to set their own abortion limits.

He also supports exceptions to the abortion ban if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest or if it threatens the mother’s life, which is at odds with some religious conservatives.

climate

Aides say Trump has promised to roll back Biden’s investments in green technology and electric cars, expand oil, gas and coal production, eliminate electric vehicle regulations and limit oversight of environmental regulations.

Trump would also withdraw the United States for a second time from the landmark international Paris agreement to combat global warming.

Foreign policy

Trump, a staunch supporter of Israel, moved the US embassy to Jerusalem and left the Palestinians out of a series of peace deals between Arab countries and Israel as president. Trump has supported Israel in its fight against Hamas in Gaza but has also said the conflict should end quickly.

As for NATO, Trump calls it a drain on U.S. resources and has threatened to withdraw. He also plans to ask Europe to reimburse the United States for nearly $200 billion worth of ammunition sent to Ukraine. A consultant has suggested a tiered protection system.

As for China, Trump has vowed to increase tariffs on Chinese imports, potentially sparking a new trade war. He also wants to ban Chinese companies from owning US real estate and infrastructure in the energy and technology sectors.

Regarding Taiwan, Trump as president opened interaction between American and Taiwanese diplomats, angering China. In 2023, Trump refused to say whether he would defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion by China.

immigration

As president, Trump has built or upgraded 450 miles (725 km) of U.S.-Mexico border wall and is promising to complete it. He wants to arrest all migrants who enter the country illegally or violate other immigration laws.

He has promised the largest deportation operation in U.S. history and would deploy National Guard troops and, if necessary, the regular military. He also wants to end automatic citizenship for children of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

Trump has also said he will resume his “Remain in Mexico” policy, which forced some non-Mexican asylum seekers at the Mexican border to wait in Mexico until their cases are resolved. Overall, Trump has promised to severely restrict access to asylum at the US southern border.