198-516: Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. He won the 2024 presidential election as the nominee of the Republican Party and is scheduled to be inaugurated as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from
396-757: A Presbyterian , on January 11, 1936, at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church with George Arthur Buttrick officiating. A wedding reception was held at the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan, and they had a single-night honeymoon in Atlantic City. The couple settled in Jamaica, Queens, and had five children: Maryanne Trump Barry (1937–2023), Fred Trump Jr. (1938–1981; an airline pilot with Trans World Airlines ), Elizabeth Trump Grau (born 1942;
594-697: A deferment from the Vietnam War by prioritizing maintenance for a tenant who, ostensibly in exchange, diagnosed Donald with bone spurs . In 1971, Donald became president of the company, with Fred becoming chairman . Donald began calling the company 'the Trump Organization' around 1973. The younger Trump entered the real-estate business in Manhattan , while his father operated primarily in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island . Some sources state that Fred planned
792-1021: A president of the United States in Congress Assembled to preside over its deliberation as a neutral discussion moderator . Unrelated to and quite dissimilar from the later office of president of the United States, it was a largely ceremonial position without much influence. In 1783, the Treaty of Paris secured independence for each of the former colonies. With peace at hand, the states each turned toward their own internal affairs. By 1786, Americans found their continental borders besieged and weak and their respective economies in crises as neighboring states agitated trade rivalries with one another. They witnessed their hard currency pouring into foreign markets to pay for imports, their Mediterranean commerce preyed upon by North African pirates , and their foreign-financed Revolutionary War debts unpaid and accruing interest. Civil and political unrest loomed. Events such as
990-680: A synagogue in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and in 1952 serving as the treasurer of an Israel benefit concert featuring American easy-listening performers. Fred supported the private Kew-Forest School , where his children attended and he served on the board of directors. The Trumps were active in The Salvation Army , the Boy Scouts of America , and the Lighthouse for the Blind. Fred reportedly also supported
1188-501: A "disruptive" erosion of his ability to govern. Ford failed to win election to a full term and his successor, Jimmy Carter , failed to win re-election. Ronald Reagan , who had been an actor before beginning his political career, used his talent as a communicator to help reshape the American agenda away from New Deal policies toward more conservative ideology. With the Cold War ending and
1386-698: A $ 100 million mortgage on Trump Tower (refinanced in 2022) and the liquidation of over $ 200 million in stocks and bonds. He personally guaranteed $ 421 million in debt, most of which is due by 2024. As of October 2021, Trump had over $ 1.3 billion in debts, much of which was secured by his assets. In 2020, he owed $ 640 million to banks and trust organizations, including Bank of China , Deutsche Bank , and UBS , and approximately $ 450 million to unknown creditors. The value of his assets exceeds his debt. Trump has produced 19 books under his name. At least some of them have been written or co-written by ghostwriters . His first book, The Art of
1584-707: A $ 70 million bank construction loan. The hotel reopened in 1980 as the Grand Hyatt Hotel , and that same year, he obtained rights to develop Trump Tower , a mixed-use skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. The building houses the headquarters of the Trump Corporation and Trump's PAC and was his primary residence until 2019. In 1988, Trump acquired the Plaza Hotel with a loan from a consortium of sixteen banks. The hotel filed for bankruptcy protection in 1992, and
1782-464: A 20 percent share, formed All County Building Supply & Maintenance Corp. The company had no offices and is alleged to have been a shell company for paying the vendors providing services and supplies for Trump's rental units, then billing those services and supplies to Trump Management with markups of 20–50 percent and more. The owners shared the proceeds generated by the markups. The increased costs were used to get state approval for increasing
1980-399: A Democrat in 2001; a Republican in 2009; unaffiliated in 2011; and a Republican in 2012. In 1987, Trump placed full-page advertisements in three major newspapers, expressing his views on foreign policy and how to eliminate the federal budget deficit. In 1988, he approached Lee Atwater , asking to be put into consideration to be Republican nominee George H. W. Bush 's running mate. Bush found
2178-552: A Memorial Day parade in Queens, prompting stern police intervention. Eight men were arrested, including the 21-year old Trump, whose charge of "refusing to disperse from a parade when ordered to do so" was dismissed. One man, arrested on the same charge, was released on the basis of having been a bystander whose foot was injured by a police car. Some newspaper articles on the incident list Trump's address (in Jamaica, Queens ), which he
SECTION 10
#17328835612552376-716: A company that sold real estate seminars for up to $ 35,000. After New York State authorities notified the company that its use of "university" violated state law (as it was not an academic institution), its name was changed to the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative in 2010. In 2013, the State of New York filed a $ 40 million civil suit against Trump University, alleging that the company made false statements and defrauded consumers. Additionally, two class actions were filed in federal court against Trump and his companies. Internal documents revealed that employees were instructed to use
2574-567: A court date and a series of phone calls with Trump, he was invited to the property to meet with county officials in September 1976 and arrested on site. Trump was released on $ 1,000 bail. In 1987, when Donald's loan debt to his father exceeded $ 11 million, Fred invested $ 15.5 million in Trump Palace Condominiums ; in 1991, he sold these shares to his son for $ 10,000, thus appearing to evade millions of dollars in gift taxes by masking
2772-559: A delegate for Virginia. When the Constitutional Convention convened in May 1787, the 12 state delegations in attendance ( Rhode Island did not send delegates) brought with them an accumulated experience over a diverse set of institutional arrangements between legislative and executive branches from within their respective state governments. Most states maintained a weak executive without veto or appointment powers, elected annually by
2970-463: A dominant figure in American politics. Historians believe Roosevelt permanently changed the political system by strengthening the presidency, with some key accomplishments including breaking up trusts, conservationism, labor reforms, making personal character as important as the issues, and hand-picking his successor, William Howard Taft . The following decade, Woodrow Wilson led the nation to victory during World War I , although Wilson's proposal for
3168-830: A few weeks, where he died at age 93 on June 25, 1999. A wake was held at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel ahead of his funeral at the Marble Collegiate Church , which was attended by over 600 people. His body was buried in a family plot at the Lutheran -Christian All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village, Queens . Upon his death, Trump's estate was estimated by his family at $ 250 million to $ 300 million, though he had only $ 1.9 million in cash. His will divided over $ 20 million after taxes among his surviving children and grandchildren. His widow, Mary, died on August 7, 2000, at age 88, also at LIJMC. Her and Fred's combined estate
3366-534: A good deal of foreign and domestic policy without aid, interference or consent from Congress". Bill Wilson , board member of Americans for Limited Government , opined that the expanded presidency was "the greatest threat ever to individual freedom and democratic rule". Article I, Section 1 of the Constitution vests all lawmaking power in Congress's hands, and Article 1, Section 6, Clause 2 prevents
3564-406: A hard-sell approach, and former employees testified that Trump University had defrauded or lied to its students. Shortly after he won the 2016 presidential election, he agreed to pay a total of $ 25 million to settle the three cases. The Donald J. Trump Foundation was a private foundation established in 1988. From 1987 to 2006, Trump gave his foundation $ 5.4 million which had been spent by
3762-420: A hidden donation, and also benefiting from a legally questionable write-off . In late 1990, when an $ 18.4 million bond payment for Atlantic City 's Trump's Castle was due, Fred sent a bookkeeper to buy $ 3.5 million in casino chips , which were not used. Trump's Castle quickly made its bond payment. The state's Casino Control Commission found the transaction to constitute an illegal loan and fined
3960-531: A hotel and casino, with financing and management help from the Holiday Corporation . It was unprofitable, and he paid Holiday $ 70 million in May 1986 to take sole control. In 1985, he bought the unopened Atlantic City Hilton Hotel and renamed it Trump Castle . Both casinos filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1992. Trump bought a third Atlantic City venue in 1988, the Trump Taj Mahal . It
4158-501: A killer", and telling him, "You are a king." Mary L. Trump states that Fred Sr. "dismantled [Fred Jr.] by devaluing and degrading every aspect of his personality" and mocked him for his decision to become an airline pilot. In 1981, Fred Jr. died at age 42 from complications due to his alcoholism . According to Donald Trump, while his mother was watching the 1953 coronation of Elizabeth II on television, Fred said while pacing around, "For Christ's sake, Mary. Enough
SECTION 20
#17328835612554356-428: A large glass-enclosed amusement center. He reportedly sold bricks to ceremony guests to smash the remaining glass panels, which included an iconic representation of the park's mascot, the " Funny Face ". The next month, New York City announced plans to acquire the former park grounds for recreational use. Trump filed a series of court cases related to the proposed rezoning, ultimately winning $ 1.3 million. After
4554-464: A list of 35 city builders accused of profiteering from government contracts. He and others were investigated by a U.S. Senate banking committee for windfall gains . Trump and his partner William Tomasello were cited as examples of how profits were made by builders using the FHA. The two paid $ 34,200 for a piece of land which they rented to their corporation for $ 76,960 annually in a 99-year lease, so that if
4752-551: A miscarriage. By 1946, they were living in a five-bedroom Tudor-style house Trump built in Jamaica Estates, and Trump purchased a neighboring 0.5-acre (0.2 ha) lot, where he built a 23-room, 9-bathroom mansion. The family moved in during 1950–1951, and Fred and Mary remained there until their deaths. The couple was also given an apartment on the 55th (labelled the 63rd) floor of Donald's Trump Tower ( c. 1983 ), which they rarely if ever used. Trump
4950-466: A month after taking office. Presidents often grant pardons shortly before leaving office, like when Bill Clinton pardoned Patty Hearst on his last day in office; this is often controversial . Two doctrines concerning executive power have developed that enable the president to exercise executive power with a degree of autonomy. The first is executive privilege , which allows the president to withhold from disclosure any communications made directly to
5148-503: A monthlong rent strike due to rodent and insect infestations , as well as problems with water heating , air conditioning , and elevator service. In early 1976, Trump was ordered by a county judge to correct code violations in a 504-unit property in Seat Pleasant, Maryland . According to the county 's housing department investigator, violations included broken windows, dilapidated gutters, and missing fire extinguishers. After
5346-943: A number of issues, including representation and voting, and the exact powers to be given the central government. Congress finished work on the Articles of Confederation to establish a perpetual union between the states in November 1777 and sent it to the states for ratification . Under the Articles, which took effect on March 1, 1781, the Congress of the Confederation was a central political authority without any legislative power. It could make its own resolutions, determinations, and regulations, but not any laws, and could not impose any taxes or enforce local commercial regulations upon its citizens. This institutional design reflected how Americans believed
5544-463: A partner acquired the mortgage-servicing subsidiary of Brooklyn 's J. Lehrenkrauss Corporation , which had gone bankrupt and had subsequently been broken up. This gave Trump access to the titles of many properties nearing foreclosure , which he bought at low cost and sold at a profit. This and similar real-estate ventures quickly brought him fame as one of New York City's most successful businessmen. Trump made use of loan subsidies created by
5742-431: A presidential veto, it requires a two-thirds vote of both houses, which is usually very difficult to achieve except for widely supported bipartisan legislation. The framers of the Constitution feared that Congress would seek to increase its power and enable a "tyranny of the majority", so giving the indirectly elected president a veto was viewed as an important check on the legislative power. While George Washington believed
5940-478: A reorganization plan was approved a month later, with the banks taking control of the property. In 1995, he defaulted on over $ 3 billion of bank loans, and the lenders seized the Plaza Hotel along with most of his other properties in a "vast and humiliating restructuring" that allowed him to avoid personal bankruptcy. The lead bank's attorney said of the banks' decision that they "all agreed that he'd be better alive than dead". In 1996, Trump acquired and renovated
6138-573: A retired executive of Chase Manhattan Bank ), Donald Trump (born 1946), and Robert Trump (1948–2020; a top executive of his father's property management company until his retirement). During World War II, Trump began concealing his German ancestry. Notwithstanding his German accent (later replaced by a New York one ), he denied that he spoke the language. Partly due to the prominence of Jews in New York , he supported Jewish causes, with contributions (apparently starting in 1941 two weeks after
Donald Trump - Misplaced Pages Continue
6336-409: A review of state and federal court files conducted by USA Today in 2018, Trump and his businesses had been involved in more than 4,000 state and federal legal actions. While he has not filed for personal bankruptcy , his over-leveraged hotel and casino businesses in Atlantic City and New York filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection six times between 1991 and 2009. They continued to operate while
6534-438: A sexual harassment suit could proceed without delay, even against a sitting president. The 2019 Mueller report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election detailed evidence of possible obstruction of justice , but investigators declined to refer Donald Trump for prosecution based on a United States Department of Justice policy against indicting an incumbent president. The report noted that impeachment by Congress
6732-428: A shopping center, covering some 30 acres (12 hectares) and procuring him $ 9 million in FHA funding. In 1950, he built the 23-building Beach Haven Apartments over 40 acres (16 ha) near Coney Island, procuring him $ 16 million in FHA funds. The total number of apartments included in these projects exceeded 2,700. Decades after hiring PR man Howard Rubenstein to generate press about his life story mirroring
6930-601: A sitting American president led troops in the field", though James Madison briefly took control of artillery units in defense of Washington, D.C. , during the War of 1812 . Abraham Lincoln was deeply involved in overall strategy and in day-to-day operations during the American Civil War , 1861–1865; historians have given Lincoln high praise for his strategic sense and his ability to select and encourage commanders such as Ulysses S. Grant . The present-day operational command of
7128-506: A state program, he profited $ 598,000 on equipment rentals in the construction of Trump Village, which was then spent on other projects. Under testimony on January 27, 1966, Trump said that he had personally done nothing wrong and praised the success of his building project. The commission called Trump "a pretty shrewd character" with a "talent for getting every ounce of profit out of his housing project", but no indictments were made. Instead, tighter administration protocols and accountability in
7326-536: A state visit by a foreign head of state, the president typically hosts a State Arrival Ceremony held on the South Lawn , a custom begun by John F. Kennedy in 1961. This is followed by a state dinner given by the president which is held in the State Dining Room later in the evening. As a national leader, the president also fulfills many less formal ceremonial duties. For example, William Howard Taft started
7524-570: A subsidiary which was used to funnel Fred's finances to his surviving children; shortly before his death, Fred transferred the ownership of most of his apartment buildings to his children, who several years later sold them for over 16 times their previously declared worth. In 1927, Trump was arrested at a Ku Klux Klan demonstration; there is no conclusive evidence that he supported the organization. From World War II onwards, to avoid associations with Nazism , Trump denied his German ancestry and also supported Jewish causes. Trump's father,
7722-629: Is enough, turn it off. They're all a bunch of con artists ." Also in the 1950s, Fred became an admirer of Protestant minister Norman Vincent Peale , the author of The Power of Positive Thinking (1952), due to his businesslike approach to life and Christianity. Trump and his family attended sermons by Peale at Manhattan's Marble Collegiate Church . Trump was also a supporter of Southern Baptist evangelist Billy Graham , whom he took his family to see speak at Yankee Stadium ( c. 1957 ). Fred and Mary Trump supported medical charities by donating buildings. After Mary received medical care at
7920-413: Is head of the executive branch of the federal government and is constitutionally obligated to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed". The executive branch has over four million employees, including the military. Presidents make political appointments . An incoming president may make up to 4,000 upon taking office, 1200 of which must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate . Ambassadors , members of
8118-448: Is of German and Scottish descent. He grew up with his older siblings, Maryanne , Fred Jr. , and Elizabeth, and his younger brother, Robert , in the wealthy Jamaica Estates neighborhood of Queens. He attended the private Kew-Forest School through seventh grade and New York Military Academy , a private boarding school, from eighth through twelfth grade. In 1964, Trump enrolled at Fordham University . Two years later, he transferred to
Donald Trump - Misplaced Pages Continue
8316-465: Is recorded as living at on various documents from 1928 to 1940. Despite this arrest, there is no incontrovertible evidence that Trump was a supporter of the KKK. Trump met his future wife, Mary Anne MacLeod , an immigrant from Tong, Lewis , Scotland , at a dance party in the early to mid-1930s. Trump told his mother the same evening that he had met his future wife. Trump, a Lutheran, married Mary,
8514-421: Is significantly shaped by the outcome of presidential elections, with presidents taking an active role in promoting their policy priorities to members of Congress who are often electorally dependent on the president. In recent decades, presidents have also made increasing use of executive orders , agency regulations, and judicial appointments to shape domestic policy. The president is elected indirectly through
8712-529: Is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America . The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces . The power of the presidency has grown substantially since the first president, George Washington , took office in 1789. While presidential power has ebbed and flowed over time,
8910-685: Is the 46th and current president, having assumed office on January 20, 2021. President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. During the American Revolutionary War , the Thirteen Colonies , represented by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia , declared themselves to be independent sovereign states and no longer under British rule. The affirmation
9108-631: Is the smartest person I know." Donald said, "It was good for me. You know, being the son of somebody, it could have been competition to me. This way, I got Manhattan all to myself." In the mid-1970s, Donald received loans from his father exceeding $ 14 million. In 2015–16, during his campaign for U.S. president , Donald claimed that his father had given him "a small loan of a million dollars" which he used to build "a company that's worth more than $ 10 billion". An October 2018 New York Times exposé on Fred and Donald Trump's finances revealed that Fred created 295 income streams for Donald and concludes that
9306-556: Is to be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States. ... It would amount to nothing more than the supreme command and direction of the military and naval forces ... while that [the power] of the British king extends to the DECLARING of war and to the RAISING and REGULATING of fleets and armies, all [of] which ... would appertain to the legislature. [Emphasis in
9504-623: The Trump Princess , which had been leased to his casinos and kept docked; and other businesses. In 1995, Trump founded Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR), which assumed ownership of the Trump Plaza. THCR purchased the Taj Mahal and the Trump Castle in 1996 and went bankrupt in 2004 and 2009, leaving him with 10 percent ownership. He remained chairman until 2009. In 1985, Trump acquired
9702-513: The Boy Scouts of America . Fred Trump Frederick Christ Trump Sr. (October 11, 1905 – June 25, 1999) was an American real-estate developer and businessman. He was the father of the 45th and 47th (presumptive) U.S. president, Donald Trump . Born in the Bronx in New York City to German immigrant parents, Trump began working in home construction and sales in the 1920s before heading
9900-530: The Cabinet , and various officers , are among the positions filled by presidential appointment with Senate confirmation. The power of a president to fire executive officials has long been a contentious political issue. Generally, a president may remove executive officials at will. However, Congress can curtail and constrain a president's authority to fire commissioners of independent regulatory agencies and certain inferior executive officers by statute . To manage
10098-519: The Eastern Air Lines Shuttle , financing the purchase with $ 380 million (equivalent to $ 979 million in 2023) in loans from a syndicate of 22 banks. He renamed the airline Trump Shuttle and operated it until 1992. He defaulted on his loans in 1991, and ownership passed to the banks. In 1992, Trump, his siblings Maryanne , Elizabeth, and Robert , and his cousin John W. Walter, each with
SECTION 50
#173288356125510296-555: The Electoral College to a four-year term, along with the vice president . Under the Twenty-second Amendment , ratified in 1951, no person who has been elected to two presidential terms may be elected to a third. In addition, nine vice presidents have become president by virtue of a president's intra-term death or resignation . In all, 45 individuals have served 46 presidencies spanning 58 four-year terms. Joe Biden
10494-558: The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) not long after the program was initiated via the National Housing Act of 1934 , which also enabled the discriminatory practice of redlining . By 1936, Trump had 400 workers digging foundations for houses that would be sold at prices ranging from $ 3,000 to $ 6,250. Trump used his father's psychological tactic of listing properties at prices ending in "... 9.99". In
10692-675: The Jamaica Hospital Medical Center , they donated the Trump Pavilion rehabilitation building ; Fred was also a trustee of the hospital. The couple donated a two-building complex in Brooklyn as a home for "functionally retarded adults", a New Jersey building valued at $ 4.75 million to United Cerebral Palsy (which Donald took credit for), and other buildings to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). Trump donated one of his least profitable properties to
10890-742: The League of Nations was rejected by the Senate. Warren Harding , while popular in office, would see his legacy tarnished by scandals, especially Teapot Dome , and Herbert Hoover quickly became very unpopular after failing to alleviate the Great Depression . The ascendancy of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 led further toward what historians now describe as the Imperial presidency . Backed by enormous Democratic majorities in Congress and public support for major change, Roosevelt's New Deal dramatically increased
11088-550: The Long Island Jewish Hospital and Manhattan's Hospital for Special Surgery; at the latter, he was a patient of orthopedist Philip D. Wilson Jr. , the hospital's lead surgeon from 1972 to 1989. Although he was registered as a Republican Party voter, Trump developed ties with the Democratic Party in New York, contributing to city politicians (including $ 2,500 to Mayor Wagner's 1961 campaign, enabling
11286-550: The Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. In 1995, he converted the estate into a private club with an initiation fee and annual dues. He continued to use a wing of the house as a private residence. He declared the club his primary residence in 2019. The Trump Organization began building and buying golf courses in 1999. It owns fourteen and manages another three Trump-branded courses worldwide. The Trump Organization has licensed
11484-730: The New Jersey Generals , a team in the United States Football League . After the 1985 season, the league folded, largely due to his attempt to move to a fall schedule (when it would have competed with the NFL for audience) and trying to force a merger with the NFL by bringing an antitrust suit. Trump and his Plaza Hotel hosted several boxing matches at the Atlantic City Convention Hall . In 1989 and 1990, he lent his name to
11682-729: The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance started an investigation. His investments underperformed the stock and New York property markets. Forbes estimated in October 2018 that his net worth declined from $ 4.5 billion in 2015 to $ 3.1 billion in 2017 and his product-licensing income from $ 23 million to $ 3 million. Trump's tax returns from 1985 to 1994 show net losses totaling $ 1.17 billion. The losses were higher than those of almost every other American taxpayer. The losses in 1990 and 1991, more than $ 250 million each year, were more than double those of
11880-636: The Newburgh Conspiracy and Shays' Rebellion demonstrated that the Articles of Confederation were not working. Following the successful resolution of commercial and fishing disputes between Virginia and Maryland at the Mount Vernon Conference in 1785, Virginia called for a trade conference between all the states, set for September 1786 in Annapolis, Maryland , with an aim toward resolving further-reaching interstate commercial antagonisms. When
12078-631: The Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, the casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey , and the Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts company. Trump attracted public attention in 1978 with the launch of his family's first Manhattan venture, the renovation of the derelict Commodore Hotel , adjacent to Grand Central Terminal. The financing was facilitated by a $ 400 million city property tax abatement arranged for him by his father who also, jointly with Hyatt , guaranteed
SECTION 60
#173288356125512276-552: The Supreme Court of the United States . However, these nominations require Senate confirmation before they may take office. Securing Senate approval can provide a major obstacle for presidents who wish to orient the federal judiciary toward a particular ideological stance. When nominating judges to U.S. district courts , presidents often respect the long-standing tradition of senatorial courtesy . Presidents may also grant pardons and reprieves . Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon
12474-485: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and appointed three justices to the Supreme Court. He initiated a trade war with China, withdrew the U.S. from several international agreements, and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without progress on denuclearization. He responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with emergency measures , and downplayed its severity. He was impeached in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and in 2021 for incitement of insurrection;
12672-640: The Tour de Trump cycling stage race, an attempt to create an American equivalent of European races such as the Tour de France or the Giro d'Italia . From 1986 to 1988, Trump purchased significant blocks of shares in various public companies while suggesting that he intended to take over the company and then sold his shares for a profit, leading some observers to think he was engaged in greenmail . The New York Times found that he initially made millions of dollars in such stock transactions, but "lost most, if not all, of those gains after investors stopped taking his takeover talk seriously". In 1988, Trump purchased
12870-417: The Trumpism movement. Trump won the 2016 presidential election . His election and policies sparked numerous protests . In his first term , he ordered a travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries, funded the Trump wall expanding the U.S.–Mexico border wall, and implemented a family separation policy at that border. He rolled back more than 100 environmental policies and regulations, signed
13068-513: The U.S. Constitution emerged. As the nation's first president, George Washington established many norms that would come to define the office. His decision to retire after two terms helped address fears that the nation would devolve into monarchy, and established a precedent that would not be broken until 1940 and would eventually be made permanent by the Twenty-Second Amendment . By the end of his presidency, political parties had developed, with John Adams defeating Thomas Jefferson in 1796,
13266-420: The University of Pennsylvania in 1968. After becoming president of the family real estate business in 1971, he renamed it the Trump Organization . Trump launched side ventures following a series of bankruptcies in the 1990s, mostly by licensing the Trump name. From 2004 to 2015, he produced and hosted the reality television series The Apprentice . In 2015, Trump launched a presidential campaign that led to
13464-411: The Watergate scandal , Congress enacted a series of reforms intended to reassert itself. These included the War Powers Resolution , enacted over Nixon's veto in 1973, and the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 that sought to strengthen congressional fiscal powers. By 1976, Gerald Ford conceded that "the historic pendulum" had swung toward Congress, raising the possibility of
13662-404: The Watergate scandal , the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Nixon , 418 U.S. 683 (1974), that executive privilege did not apply in cases where a president was attempting to avoid criminal prosecution. When Bill Clinton attempted to use executive privilege regarding the Lewinsky scandal , the Supreme Court ruled in Clinton v. Jones , 520 U.S. 681 (1997), that
13860-453: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania , graduating in May 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in economics. In 2015, he threatened his high school, colleges, and the College Board with legal action if they released his academic records. In 1977, Trump married the Czech model Ivana Zelníčková . They had three children: Donald Jr. (1977–), Ivanka (1981–), and Eric (1984–). The couple divorced in 1990, following his affair with
14058-433: The convention failed for lack of attendance due to suspicions among most of the other states, Alexander Hamilton of New York led the Annapolis delegates in a call for a convention to offer revisions to the Articles, to be held the next spring in Philadelphia . Prospects for the next convention appeared bleak until James Madison and Edmund Randolph succeeded in securing George Washington 's attendance to Philadelphia as
14256-591: The rags-to-riches novels of 19th-century author Horatio Alger , in 1985, Fred was awarded the Horatio Alger Award (for "distinguished Americans"). Radio and television personality Art Linkletter introduced Trump at the ceremony, with Peale's wife (and previous award recipient), Ruth Peale , presenting him the award. During his speech, Trump stated that the key to his success was enthusiasm for his work and that he "used to watch other successful people ... that did good and that did bad and ... followed
14454-407: The real-estate business Friedrich had begun. Interested in becoming a builder, Fred put up a garage for a neighbor and took night classes in carpentry and reading blueprints; he reputedly studied plumbing , masonry , and electrical wiring via correspondence courses , although other biographical sources limit his construction education to the period after high school when he was also working in
14652-580: The 1830s and 1840s until debates over slavery began pulling the nation apart in the 1850s. Abraham Lincoln 's leadership during the Civil War has led historians to regard him as one of the nation's greatest presidents. The circumstances of the war and Republican domination of Congress made the office very powerful, and Lincoln's re-election in 1864 was the first time a president had been re-elected since Jackson in 1832. After Lincoln's assassination, his successor Andrew Johnson lost all political support and
14850-482: The 1982, 1983, and 1984 rankings. Trump has often said he began his career with "a small loan of a million dollars" from his father and that he had to pay it back with interest. He was a millionaire by age eight, borrowed at least $ 60 million from his father, largely failed to repay those loans, and received another $ 413 million (2018 dollars adjusted for inflation) from his father's company. In 2018, he and his family were reported to have committed tax fraud, and
15048-558: The 2020 election and his handling of classified documents , which were dismissed following his reelection in 2024 . Having previously won in 2016, Trump became the second president elected to a non-consecutive second term , 132 years after Grover Cleveland defeated Benjamin Harrison in 1892 . Trump was born on June 14, 1946, at Jamaica Hospital in Queens , New York City, the fourth child of Fred Trump and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump . He
15246-640: The Armed Forces is delegated to the Department of Defense and is normally exercised through the secretary of defense . The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combatant Commands assist with the operation as outlined in the presidentially approved Unified Command Plan (UCP). The president has the power to nominate federal judges , including members of the United States courts of appeals and
15444-470: The Constitution grants to the president as commander-in-chief has been the subject of much debate throughout history, with Congress at various times granting the president wide authority and at others attempting to restrict that authority. The framers of the Constitution took care to limit the president's powers regarding the military; Alexander Hamilton explained this in Federalist No. 69 : The President
15642-580: The Deal (1987), was a New York Times Best Seller . While he was credited as co-author, the entire book was written by Tony Schwartz . According to The New Yorker , the book made Trump famous as an "emblem of the successful tycoon". Trump had cameos in many films and television shows from 1985 to 2001. Starting in the 1990s, Trump was a guest about 24 times on the nationally syndicated Howard Stern Show . He had his own short-form talk radio program called Trumped! from 2004 to 2008. From 2011 until 2015, he
15840-516: The DoJ of false accusations. Some three dozen former Trump employees were interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Some testified that they had no knowledge of any racial profiling practices, and that a small percentage of their apartments were rented to blacks or Puerto Ricans . A former doorman testified that his supervisor had instructed him to tell prospective black tenants that
16038-455: The FHA, and therefore suffer a loss if he built under those conditions. In 1961, Trump donated $ 2,500 to the re-election campaign of New York mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. , helping him gain favor for the construction of Trump Village , a large apartment complex in Coney Island. The project was constructed in 1963–64 for $ 70 million. It was one of Trump's biggest and last major projects, and
16236-671: The German American Friedrich Trump , amassed considerable wealth during the Klondike Gold Rush by running a restaurant and brothel for miners. Friedrich returned to Kallstadt in 1901, and, by the next year, met and married Elizabeth Christ . They moved to New York City , where their first child, Elizabeth, was born in 1904. Later that year, the family returned to Kallstadt. Fred was conceived in Bavaria , where his parents wished to re-establish residency, but Friedrich
16434-530: The NKF, which according to The New York Times was "one of the largest charitable donations he ever made", with a deduction proportional to its stated value, claimed in his 1992 tax return as $ 34 million. Particularly after U.S. entry into World War II in late 1941, Trump backed both Jewish and Israeli causes. This included Israel Bonds , donating the land for the Beach Haven Jewish Center,
16632-457: The New York attorney general determined the foundation to be in violation of state law, for soliciting donations without submitting to required annual external audits, and ordered it to cease its fundraising activities in New York immediately. Trump's team announced in December 2016 that the foundation would be dissolved. In June 2018, the New York attorney general's office filed a civil suit against
16830-446: The Senate acquitted him in both cases. Trump's politics and rhetoric led to the creation of Trumpism . Many of his comments and actions have been characterized as racially charged, racist, and misogynistic. He promoted conspiracy theories and made many false and misleading statements during his campaigns and presidency, to a degree unprecedented in American politics. After his first term, scholars and historians ranked him as one of
17028-525: The Supreme Court dismissed a case brought by a former Union spy. However, the privilege was not formally recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court until United States v. Reynolds 345 U.S. 1 (1953), where it was held to be a common law evidentiary privilege. Before the September 11 attacks , use of the privilege had been rare, but increasing in frequency. Since 2001, the government has asserted
17226-471: The Trump name for consumer products and services, including foodstuffs, apparel, learning courses, and home furnishings. According to The Washington Post , there are more than 50 licensing or management deals involving his name, and they have generated at least $ 59 million in revenue for his companies. By 2018, only two consumer goods companies continued to license his name. In September 1983, Trump purchased
17424-581: The Trumps from "discriminating against any person in the ... sale or rental of a dwelling", and "required Trump to advertise vacancies in minority papers [for two years], promote minorities to professional jobs, and list vacancies on a preferential basis". Finally, it ordered the Trumps to "thoroughly acquaint themselves personally on a detailed basis with ... the Fair Housing Act of 1968". In 1975, tenants of two of Trump's Norfolk tower complexes held
17622-460: The U.S. entered the war) convincing some he practiced Judaism . He also omitted the "h" from his middle name (sidestepping the potential implication he could be anti-Semitic as a Christian ). Trump later falsely claimed that he was of Swedish (Northern European) descent, and in 1973 wrongly stated that he was born in New Jersey; these deceptions were sustained in the 1980s by Donald Trump and
17820-483: The United States and other countries. Such agreements, upon receiving the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate (by a two-thirds majority vote), become binding with the force of federal law. While foreign affairs has always been a significant element of presidential responsibilities, advances in technology since the Constitution's adoption have increased presidential power. Where formerly ambassadors were vested with significant power to independently negotiate on behalf of
18018-626: The United States becoming the world's undisputed leading power, Bill Clinton , George W. Bush , and Barack Obama each served two terms as president. Meanwhile, Congress and the nation gradually became more politically polarized, especially following the 1994 mid-term elections that saw Republicans control the House for the first time in 40 years, and the rise of routine filibusters in the Senate in recent decades. Recent presidents have thus increasingly focused on executive orders , agency regulations, and judicial appointments to implement major policies, at
18216-423: The United States, presidents now routinely meet directly with leaders of foreign countries. One of the most important of executive powers is the president's role as commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces . The power to declare war is constitutionally vested in Congress, but the president has ultimate responsibility for the direction and disposition of the military. The exact degree of authority that
18414-743: The White House to publish the "long-form" birth certificate, which he considered fraudulent, and later said this made him "very popular". In September 2016, amid pressure, he acknowledged that Obama was born in the U.S. In 2017, he reportedly expressed birther views privately. Trump has a history of belittling women when speaking to the media and on social media. He made lewd comments, disparaged women's physical appearances, and referred to them using derogatory epithets. At least 25 women publicly accused him of sexual misconduct , including rape, kissing without consent, groping, looking under women's skirts, and walking in on naked teenage pageant contestants. He has denied
18612-468: The White House". Presidents have been criticized for making signing statements when signing congressional legislation about how they understand a bill or plan to execute it. This practice has been criticized by the American Bar Association as unconstitutional. Conservative commentator George Will wrote of an "increasingly swollen executive branch" and "the eclipse of Congress". To allow
18810-555: The actress Marla Maples . He and Maples married in 1993 and divorced in 1999. They have one daughter, Tiffany (1993–), whom Maples raised in California. In 2005, he married the Slovenian model Melania Knauss . They have one son, Barron (2006–). Trump says he has never drunk alcohol, smoked cigarettes, or used drugs. He sleeps about four or five hours a night. He has called golfing his "primary form of exercise", but usually does not walk
19008-470: The actual cost of maintenance work and goods such as boilers . In 1976, Trump set up trust funds of $ 1 million ($ 5.3 million in 2023) for each of his five children and three grandchildren, which paid out yearly dividends . Trump appeared on the initial Forbes 400 list of richest Americans in 1982 with an estimated $ 200 million fortune split with his son Donald. That same year, Fred sold two Norfolk towers and some Hampton Roads military housing,
19206-446: The allegations. In October 2016, a 2005 " hot mic " recording surfaced in which Trump bragged about kissing and groping women without their consent, saying that "when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab 'em by the pussy ." The incident's widespread media exposure led to Trump's first public apology during his 2016 presidential campaign and caused outrage across the political spectrum. Starting in 1968, Trump
19404-401: The allegiance of Trump voters. Racist and Islamophobic attitudes are a powerful indicator of support for Trump. He has also been accused of racism for insisting a group of black and Latino teenagers were guilty of raping a white woman in the 1989 Central Park jogger case , even after they were exonerated in 2002 when the actual rapist confessed and his DNA matched the evidence. In October 2024,
19602-424: The apartment they built on it ever defaulted, the FHA would owe them $ 1.924 million. Trump and Tomasello evidently obtained loans for $ 3.5 million more than Beach Haven Apartments had cost. Trump argued that because he had not withdrawn the money, he had not literally pocketed the profits. He further argued that due to rising costs, he would have had to invest more than the 10% of the mortgage loan not provided by
19800-409: The applicant was black; blacks were also falsely told there were no vacancies. A rental agent who had worked with the company for two weeks said that when he asked Fred Trump if he should rent to blacks, he was told that it was "absolutely against the law to discriminate", but after asking again, he was instructed "not to rent to blacks", and was further advised to: get rid of the blacks that were in
19998-402: The assets to their four surviving children, who bought the remaining third via annuity payments between 1995 and November 1997. The collective assets were valued at $ 41.4 million and in 2004 were sold for over 16 times this value, avoiding hundreds of millions of dollars in gift taxes. Trump finally fell ill with pneumonia and was admitted to Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJMC) for
20196-599: The author of Donald's first biography. During the 1980s, Fred became friends with the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations , Benjamin Netanyahu , later the prime minister of Israel . After Elizabeth's birth, and with the U.S. becoming more involved in the war, Trump moved his family to Hampton Roads's Virginia Beach . In 1944, as Trump's FHA funding lulled, they returned to Jamaica Estates, Queens , where Mary suffered
20394-467: The banks restructured debt and reduced his shares in the properties. During the 1980s, more than 70 banks had lent Trump $ 4 billion. After his corporate bankruptcies of the early 1990s, most major banks, with the exception of Deutsche Bank, declined to lend to him. After the January ;6 Capitol attack , the bank decided not to do business with him or his company in the future. In 1982, Trump made
20592-512: The basis of intentional tax evasion if a fraudulent return form can be produced as evidence; the statute of limitations does not apply in such cases. By February 1, 2019, Maryanne Trump Barry was being investigated for possible judicial misconduct regarding the schemes, but this was mooted later in the month due to her retirement. In May 1927, over 1,000 robed members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and 400 non-robed KKK supporters infiltrated
20790-456: The building by telling them cheap housing was available for them at only $ 500 down payment, which Trump would offer to pay himself. Trump didn't tell me where this housing was located. He advised me not to rent to persons on welfare . Meanwhile, Trump acquired up to 20% of Brooklyn's Starrett City , a large, federally subsidized housing complex which opened in 1974 with the stated desegregation goal of renting 70% of its units to white people and
20988-425: The casino $ 65,000. In 1992, Fred and Donald set up a subsidiary company which each of Fred's living children owned a 20% stake in. As detailed in 2018 by The New York Times , the business entity had no apparent legitimate purpose and was evidently used to conduct tax fraud by funneling millions of dollars of Fred's wealth to his progeny without paying gift taxes. This was accomplished by billing Fred much more than
21186-479: The construction of Trump Village). Together with Donald in the 1980s, Fred provided over $ 350,000 to city politicians including Mayor Ed Koch , Council president Andrew Stein , Controller Harrison J. Goldin , and four of the five borough presidents. In October 2018, The New York Times reported in an exposé on Trump's financial records that they had found no evidence that he had made any significant financial contributions to charities. Folk singer Woody Guthrie
21384-406: The course. He considers exercise a waste of energy because he believes the body is "like a battery, with a finite amount of energy", which is depleted by exercise. In 2015, his campaign released a letter from his longtime personal physician, Harold Bornstein , stating that he would "be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency". In 2018, Bornstein said Trump had dictated the contents of
21582-544: The death of William Henry Harrison and subsequent poor relations between John Tyler and Congress led to further weakening of the office. Including Van Buren, in the 24 years between 1837 and 1861, six presidential terms would be filled by eight different men, with none serving two terms. The Senate played an important role during this period, with the Great Triumvirate of Henry Clay , Daniel Webster , and John C. Calhoun playing key roles in shaping national policy in
21780-457: The deposed British system of Crown and Parliament ought to have functioned with respect to the royal dominion : a superintending body for matters that concerned the entire empire. The states were out from under any monarchy and assigned some formerly royal prerogatives (e.g., making war, receiving ambassadors, etc.) to Congress; the remaining prerogatives were lodged within their own respective state governments. The members of Congress elected
21978-434: The deposits. The boys had paper routes , and when weather conditions were poor, their father would let them make their deliveries in a limousine. According to Fred Jr.'s daughter, Mary L. Trump, Fred Sr. wanted his oldest son to be "invulnerable" in personality so he could take over the family business, but Fred Jr. was the opposite. Trump instead elevated Donald to become his business heir, teaching him to "be
22176-534: The end of 2006. After donating a total of $ 65,000 in 2007–2008, he stopped donating any personal funds to the charity, which received millions from other donors, including $ 5 million from Vince McMahon . The foundation gave to health- and sports-related charities, conservative groups, and charities that held events at Trump properties. In 2016, The Washington Post reported that the charity committed several potential legal and ethical violations, including alleged self-dealing and possible tax evasion . Also in 2016,
22374-461: The executive branch may draft legislation and then ask senators or representatives to introduce these drafts into Congress. Additionally, the president may attempt to have Congress alter proposed legislation by threatening to veto that legislation unless requested changes are made. Many laws enacted by Congress do not address every possible detail, and either explicitly or implicitly delegate powers of implementation to an appropriate federal agency. As
22572-501: The expansion of the business to Manhattan. His granddaughter Mary L. Trump states that he was "intimately involved in all aspects of Donald's early forays into the Manhattan market" while Louise Sunshine (organization vice president from 1973 to 1985) claims Fred was "behind [Donald] in every way, shape and form [including] financing of these developments". Fred reputedly stated: "I gave Donald free rein. He has great vision and everything he touches seems to turn to gold. ... [He]
22770-467: The expense of legislation and congressional power. Presidential elections in the 21st century have reflected this continuing polarization, with no candidate except Obama in 2008 winning by more than five percent of the popular vote and two, George W. Bush and Donald Trump , winning in the Electoral College while losing the popular vote. The nation's Founding Fathers expected the Congress , which
22968-504: The federal government by issuing various types of directives , such as presidential proclamation and executive orders . When the president is lawfully exercising one of the constitutionally conferred presidential responsibilities, the scope of this power is broad. Even so, these directives are subject to judicial review by U.S. federal courts, which can find them to be unconstitutional. Congress can overturn an executive order through legislation. Article II, Section 3, Clause 4 requires
23166-570: The field. After graduating in January 1923, Trump obtained full-time work pulling lumber to construction sites. He studied carpentry and became a carpenter's assistant. Trump's mother held the business in her name until he reached 21, the age of majority . The company name " E. Trump & Son " appeared in advertising by 1924, by which year Trump ostensibly used an $ 800 loan from his mother to complete and sell his first house. Public records, however, do not support him building until 1927,
23364-522: The first U.S. president, firmly established military subordination under civilian authority . In 1794, Washington used his constitutional powers to assemble 12,000 militia to quell the Whiskey Rebellion , a conflict in Western Pennsylvania involving armed farmers and distillers who refused to pay an excise tax on spirits. According to historian Joseph Ellis , this was the "first and only time
23562-522: The first truly contested presidential election. After Jefferson defeated Adams in 1800, he and his fellow Virginians James Madison and James Monroe would each serve two terms, eventually dominating the nation's politics during the Era of Good Feelings until Adams' son John Quincy Adams won election in 1824 after the Democratic-Republican Party split. The election of Andrew Jackson in 1828
23760-405: The foundation, Trump, and his adult children, seeking $ 2.8 million in restitution and additional penalties. In December 2018, the foundation ceased operation and disbursed its assets to other charities. In November 2019, a New York state judge ordered Trump to pay $ 2 million to a group of charities for misusing the foundation's funds, in part to finance his presidential campaign. Roy Cohn
23958-433: The good qualities that they had". He then (apparently erroneously) attributed to William Shakespeare the saying "Never follow an empty wagon because", pointing to his cranium, "nothing ever falls off". He went on to introduce his surviving nuclear family . In early 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and other federal leaders began denouncing real-estate profiteers . That June, The New York Times included Trump on
24156-417: The government to act quickly in case of a major domestic or international crisis arising when Congress is not in session, the president is empowered by Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution to call a special session of one or both houses of Congress. Since John Adams first did so in 1797, the president has called the full Congress to convene for a special session on 27 occasions. Harry S. Truman
24354-632: The growing federal bureaucracy, presidents have gradually surrounded themselves with many layers of staff, who were eventually organized into the Executive Office of the President of the United States . Within the Executive Office, the president's innermost layer of aides, and their assistants, are located in the White House Office . The president also possesses the power to manage operations of
24552-474: The head of the executive branch, presidents control a vast array of agencies that can issue regulations with little oversight from Congress. In the 20th century, critics charged that too many legislative and budgetary powers that should have belonged to Congress had slid into the hands of presidents. One critic charged that presidents could appoint a "virtual army of 'czars'—each wholly unaccountable to Congress yet tasked with spearheading major policy efforts for
24750-754: The initial Forbes list of wealthy people for holding a share of his family's estimated $ 200 million net worth (equivalent to $ 631 million in 2023). His losses in the 1980s dropped him from the list between 1990 and 1995. After filing the mandatory financial disclosure report with the FEC in July 2015, he announced a net worth of about $ 10 billion. Records released by the FEC showed at least $ 1.4 billion in assets and $ 265 million in liabilities. Forbes estimated his net worth dropped by $ 1.4 billion between 2015 and 2018. In their 2024 billionaires ranking, his net worth
24948-598: The late 1930s, he used a boat to advertise off Coney Island 's shore; it played patriotic music and floated out swordfish -shaped balloons which could be redeemed for $ 25 or $ 250 towards one of his properties. In 1938, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle referred to Trump as "the Henry Ford of the home building industry". During this period, Trump predicted that he would profit from World War II . By 1942, he had built 2,000 homes in Brooklyn using FHA funds. During
25146-510: The latter "was a millionaire by age 8", receiving $ 413 million (adjusted for inflation; $ 483.6 million in 2023 currency) from Fred's business empire over his lifetime, including over $ 60.7 million (unadjusted for inflation; $ 163.9 million in 2023 currency) in loans, which were largely unreimbursed. According to Trump construction vice president Barbara Res , Fred seated business guests in an off-balance chair and advised Donald to arrange his office so that adversaries could be forced to face
25344-536: The latter for $ 8–9 million, with perhaps $ 6.6 million pledged in promissory notes (which were apparently outstanding as of 2019). In 1998, a year before Fred's death, while he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and his son Robert had power of attorney , the notes were transferred to limited liability companies connected to Trump Organization subsidiaries. In December 1990, Donald Trump sought to amend his father's will , which according to Fred's daughter Maryanne Trump Barry , "was basically taking
25542-461: The leader of the nation with the largest economy by nominal GDP , the president possesses significant domestic and international hard and soft power . For much of the 20th century, especially during the Cold War , the U.S. president was often called "the leader of the free world". Article II of the Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government and vests executive power in
25740-422: The legislature to a single term only, sharing power with an executive council, and countered by a strong legislature. New York offered the greatest exception, having a strong, unitary governor with veto and appointment power elected to a three-year term, and eligible for reelection to an indefinite number of terms thereafter. It was through the closed-door negotiations at Philadelphia that the presidency framed in
25938-467: The letter and that three of Trump's agents had seized his medical records in a February 2017 raid on Bornstein’s office. Many of Trump's comments and actions have been described as racist . In national polling, about half of respondents said that he is racist; a greater proportion believed that he emboldened racists. Several studies and surveys found that racist attitudes fueled his political ascent and were more important than economic factors in determining
26136-410: The men sued Trump for defamation after he said in a televised September debate that they had committed the crime and killed the woman. In 2011, when he was reportedly considering a presidential run, Trump became the leading proponent of the racist "birther" conspiracy theory , alleging that Barack Obama, the first black U.S. president, was not born in the U.S. In April, he claimed credit for pressuring
26334-616: The mostly vacant 71-story skyscraper at 40 Wall Street , later rebranded as the Trump Building. In the early 1990s, he won the right to develop a 70-acre (28 ha) tract in the Lincoln Square neighborhood near the Hudson River. Struggling with debt from other ventures in 1994, he sold most of his interest in the project to Asian investors, who financed the project's completion, Riverside South . Trump's last major construction project
26532-602: The nearest taxpayers. In 1995, his reported losses were $ 915.7 million (equivalent to $ 1.83 billion in 2023). In 2020, The New York Times obtained Trump's tax information extending over two decades. Its reporters found that he reported losses of hundreds of millions of dollars. Since 2010 he had also failed to pay back $ 287 million in loans. During the 15 years prior to 2020, using tax credits for business losses, he paid no income taxes in 10 of those years and $ 750 each in 2016 and 2017. He balanced his businesses' losses by selling and borrowing against assets, including
26730-506: The office as a position of global leadership. His successors, Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower , each served two terms as the Cold War led the presidency to be viewed as the " leader of the free world ", while John F. Kennedy was a youthful and popular leader who benefited from the rise of television in the 1960s. After Lyndon B. Johnson lost popular support due to the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon 's presidency collapsed in
26928-501: The only one to bear his name. He built more than 27,000 low-income apartments and row houses in the New York area altogether, including Brooklyn (in Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay , Flatbush , and Brighton Beach ) and Queens (in Flushing and Jamaica Estates ). In 1966, Trump was again investigated for windfall profiteering, this time by New York State investigators . After Trump overestimated building costs sponsored by
27126-486: The original.] In the modern era, pursuant to the War Powers Resolution , Congress must authorize any troop deployments longer than 60 days, although that process relies on triggering mechanisms that have never been employed, rendering it ineffectual. Additionally, Congress provides a check to presidential military power through its control over military spending and regulation. Presidents have historically initiated
27324-425: The point of being somewhat fictionalized. At the age of 10, Trump worked as a delivery boy for a butcher. About two years later, on Memorial Day , his father died in the 1918 flu pandemic , according to Fred quite suddenly. From 1918 to 1923, Fred attended Richmond Hill High School in Queens, while working as a caddy , curb whitewasher , delivery boy, and newspaper hawker . Meanwhile, his mother continued
27522-412: The presidency has played an increasingly significant role in American political life since the beginning of the 20th century, carrying over into the 21st century with notable expansions during the presidencies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and George W. Bush . In modern times, the president is one of the world's most powerful political figures and the leader of the world's only remaining superpower . As
27720-516: The president (and all other executive branch officers) from simultaneously being a member of Congress. Nevertheless, the modern presidency exerts significant power over legislation, both due to constitutional provisions and historical developments over time. The president's most significant legislative power derives from the Presentment Clause , which gives the president the power to veto any bill passed by Congress . While Congress can override
27918-406: The president believes are needed. Additionally, the president can attempt to shape legislation during the legislative process by exerting influence on individual members of Congress. Presidents possess this power because the Constitution is silent about who can write legislation, but the power is limited because only members of Congress can introduce legislation. The president or other officials of
28116-461: The president in the performance of executive duties. George Washington first claimed the privilege when Congress requested to see Chief Justice John Jay 's notes from an unpopular treaty negotiation with Great Britain . While not enshrined in the Constitution or any other law, Washington's action created the precedent for the privilege. When Nixon tried to use executive privilege as a reason for not turning over subpoenaed evidence to Congress during
28314-504: The president is authorized to adjourn Congress if the House and Senate cannot agree on the time of adjournment; no president has ever had to exercise this power. Suffice it to say that the President is made the sole repository of the executive powers of the United States, and the powers entrusted to him as well as the duties imposed upon him are awesome indeed. Nixon v. General Services Administration , 433 U.S. 425 (1977) ( Rehnquist, J. , dissenting ) The president
28512-580: The president of his father's real-estate business in 1971. Two years later, they were sued by the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division for racial discrimination against black people. Contradicting Donald Trump's claim that he built a multibillion-dollar company using "a small loan of a million dollars" from his father, in 2018 The New York Times reported that Fred and his wife, Mary Trump , provided over $ 1 billion (in 2018 currency) to their children overall, avoiding over $ 500 million in gift taxes . In 1992, Fred and Donald set up
28710-422: The president personally has absolute immunity from court cases is contested and has been the subject of several Supreme Court decisions. Nixon v. Fitzgerald (1982) dismissed a civil lawsuit against by-then former president Richard Nixon based on his official actions. Clinton v. Jones (1997) decided that a president has no immunity against civil suits for actions taken before becoming president and ruled that
28908-497: The president to "receive Ambassadors." This clause, known as the Reception Clause, has been interpreted to imply that the president possesses broad power over matters of foreign policy, and to provide support for the president's exclusive authority to grant recognition to a foreign government. The Constitution also empowers the president to appoint United States ambassadors, and to propose and chiefly negotiate agreements between
29106-512: The president to recommend such measures to Congress which the president deems "necessary and expedient". This is done through the constitutionally-based State of the Union address, which usually outlines the president's legislative proposals for the coming year, and through other formal and informal communications with Congress. The president can be involved in crafting legislation by suggesting, requesting, or even insisting that Congress enact laws that
29304-486: The president's veto power with the Line Item Veto Act . The legislation empowered the president to sign any spending bill into law while simultaneously striking certain spending items within the bill, particularly any new spending, any amount of discretionary spending, or any new limited tax benefit. Congress could then repass that particular item. If the president then vetoed the new legislation, Congress could override
29502-504: The president. The state secrets privilege allows the president and the executive branch to withhold information or documents from discovery in legal proceedings if such release would harm national security . Precedent for the privilege arose early in the 19th century when Thomas Jefferson refused to release military documents in the treason trial of Aaron Burr and again in Totten v. United States 92 U.S. 105 (1876), when
29700-493: The president. The power includes the execution and enforcement of federal law and the responsibility to appoint federal executive, diplomatic, regulatory, and judicial officers. Based on constitutional provisions empowering the president to appoint and receive ambassadors and conclude treaties with foreign powers, and on subsequent laws enacted by Congress, the modern presidency has primary responsibility for conducting U.S. foreign policy. The role includes responsibility for directing
29898-404: The previous thirty years worked towards "undivided presidential control of the executive branch and its agencies". She criticized proponents of the unitary executive theory for expanding "the many existing uncheckable executive powers—such as executive orders, decrees, memorandums, proclamations, national security directives and legislative signing statements—that already allow presidents to enact
30096-424: The privilege also could not be used in civil suits. These cases established the legal precedent that executive privilege is valid, although the exact extent of the privilege has yet to be clearly defined. Additionally, federal courts have allowed this privilege to radiate outward and protect other executive branch employees but have weakened that protection for those executive branch communications that do not involve
30294-503: The privilege in more cases and at earlier stages of the litigation, thus in some instances causing dismissal of the suits before reaching the merits of the claims, as in the Ninth Circuit 's ruling in Mohamed v. Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. Critics of the privilege claim its use has become a tool for the government to cover up illegal or embarrassing government actions. The degree to which
30492-494: The process for going to war, but critics have charged that there have been several conflicts in which presidents did not get official declarations, including Theodore Roosevelt 's military move into Panama in 1903, the Korean War , the Vietnam War , and the invasions of Grenada in 1983 and Panama in 1989. The amount of military detail handled personally by the president in wartime has varied greatly. George Washington,
30690-561: The project was dissolved in favor of defense housing at the East Coast 's naval nexus, Hampton Roads 's Norfolk, Virginia , where Trump was already working on an apartment complex. Congress added a provision to the National Housing Act generating mortgage insurance for defense apartments, through which Trump was allowed to own the properties he built for war workers. By 1944, he had constructed 1,360 wartime apartments, almost 10% of
30888-410: The properties sold in 2004 were valued over 16 times their previously declared worth. Fred and Mary reportedly provided their children with over $ 1 billion altogether, which should have been taxed at the rate of 55% for gifts and inheritances (over $ 550 million), but records show that a total of only $ 52.2 million (about 5%) was paid. According to New York State law, individuals can be prosecuted on
31086-442: The real-estate business started by his parents (later known as the Trump Organization ). His company rose to success, building and managing single-family houses in Queens , apartments for war workers on the East Coast during World War II , and more than 27,000 apartments in New York overall. Trump was investigated for profiteering by a U.S. Senate committee in 1954 and again by New York State in 1966. Donald Trump became
31284-594: The related licensing agreements, they earned him more than $ 400 million. In February 2021, Trump, who had been a member of SAG-AFTRA since 1989, resigned to avoid a disciplinary hearing regarding the January ;6 attack. Two days later, the union permanently barred him. Trump registered as a Republican in 1987; a member of the Independence Party , the New York state affiliate of the Reform Party , in 1999;
31482-505: The rent was double its actual amount. Four landlords or rental agents confirmed that applications sent to the Trump organization's head office for approval were coded by the race of the applicant. One former employee testified that a code – which he believed was used throughout the Brooklyn branch of the company – referred to "low lifes" such as "blacks, Puerto Ricans, apparent drug users, or any other type of undesirable applicant", and nine times out of ten it meant
31680-607: The rents of his rent-stabilized units. From 1996 to 2015, Trump owned all or part of the Miss Universe pageants, including Miss USA and Miss Teen USA . Due to disagreements with CBS about scheduling, he took both pageants to NBC in 2002. In 2007, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work as producer of Miss Universe. NBC and Univision dropped the pageants in June 2015. In 2004, Trump co-founded Trump University ,
31878-660: The request "strange and unbelievable". Trump was a candidate in the 2000 Reform Party presidential primaries for three months, but withdrew from the race in February 2000. In 2011, Trump speculated about running against President Barack Obama in the 2012 election , making his first speaking appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February and giving speeches in early primary states. In May, he announced he would not run. His presidential ambitions were generally not taken seriously at
32076-431: The rest to minorities. A consent decree between the DoJ and the Trump Organization was signed on June 10, 1975, with both sides claiming victory – the Trump Organization because the settlement did not require them "to accept persons on welfare as tenants", and the head of DoJ's housing division for the decree being "one of the most far-reaching ever negotiated". It personally and corporately prohibited
32274-575: The site sat vacant for several years, Trump started subleasing it to a manager of fairground amusement park rides. Over another decade, the city eventually succeeded in reclaiming the property. In July 2016, the Coney Island History Project held a special exhibit for the "50th Anniversary of Fred Trump's Demolition of Steeplechase Pavilion". Fred's son, Donald , joined his father's real-estate business around 1968, initially working in Brooklyn. That year, Fred reputedly secured Donald
32472-487: The size and scope of the federal government, including more executive agencies. The traditionally small presidential staff was greatly expanded, with the Executive Office of the President being created in 1939, none of whom require Senate confirmation. Roosevelt's unprecedented re-election to a third and fourth term, the victory of the United States in World War II , and the nation's growing economy all helped established
32670-702: The size of your estate, this is tantamount to disinheriting them. You may wish to increase their participation in your estate to avoid ill will in the future." In October 1991, Trump was diagnosed with "mild senile dementia ", with his physician citing symptoms of "obvious memory decline in recent years" and "significant memory impairment". A few months later, another physician reported that Trump "did not know his birth date [or] age", amongst other difficulties. Mary L. Trump recounted that as her grandfather's dementia progressed, he failed to recognize people he had known for decades, including her and Donald. According to Fred III, his grandfather needed to be reminded why he
32868-425: The state's housing program were called for. On July 1, 1965, Trump purchased Coney Island's recently closed Steeplechase Park for $ 2.3 million, intending to build luxury apartments. The next year, he announced plans for a 160-foot-high (49-meter) enclosed dome with recreational facilities and a convention center. At a highly publicized ceremony in September 1966, Trump demolished the park's Pavilion of Fun,
33066-567: The sun. Minority applicants turned away from renting apartments complained to the New York City Commission on Human Rights and the Urban League , leading these groups to send test applicants to Trump-owned complexes in July 1972. They found that white people were offered apartments, while black people were generally turned away (by being told there were no vacancies); according to the superintendent of Beach Haven Apartments, this
33264-451: The time. Trump announced his candidacy in June 2015. His campaign was initially not taken seriously by political analysts, but he quickly rose to the top of opinion polls. He became the front-runner in March 2016 and was declared the presumptive Republican nominee in May. President of the United States [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The president of the United States ( POTUS )
33462-509: The total created in Norfolk. He also built barracks and garden apartments for U.S. Navy personnel near major shipyards in Norfolk and Newport News, Virginia , as well as Chester, Pennsylvania . Following the war, Trump expanded into middle-income housing for the families of returning veterans. From 1947 to 1949, he built Shore Haven in Bensonhurst, which included 32 six-story buildings and
33660-600: The tradition of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch in 1910 at Griffith Stadium , Washington, D.C., on the Washington Senators's Opening Day . Every president since Taft, except for Jimmy Carter , threw out at least one ceremonial first ball or pitch for Opening Day, the All-Star Game , or the World Series , usually with much fanfare. Every president since Theodore Roosevelt has served as honorary president of
33858-407: The veto by its ordinary means, a two-thirds vote in both houses. In Clinton v. City of New York , 524 U.S. 417 (1998), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such a legislative alteration of the veto power to be unconstitutional. For most of American history, candidates for president have sought election on the basis of a promised legislative agenda. Article II, Section 3, Clause 2 requires
34056-520: The veto should only be used in cases where a bill was unconstitutional, it is now routinely used in cases where presidents have policy disagreements with a bill. The veto – or threat of a veto – has thus evolved to make the modern presidency a central part of the American legislative process. Specifically, under the Presentment Clause, once a bill has been presented by Congress, the president has three options: In 1996, Congress attempted to enhance
34254-542: The war, the federal Office of Production Management (established in 1941) allowed the use of FHA funding for defense housing in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn , owing to the proximity of the Brooklyn Navy Yard . Trump planned to build 700 houses there, which would have been both his and the state FHA office's biggest project to date, but following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States's declaration of war on Japan ,
34452-649: The whole estate and giving it to Donald", allowing him to "sell, do anything he wants ... with the properties". The Washington Post wrote that this "was designed to protect Donald Trump's inheritance from efforts to seize it by creditors and Ivana ", whom he divorced that month. Fred rejected the proposal, and in 1991, composed his own final will, which made Donald, Maryanne, and Robert Trump co-executors of his estate. Trump's lawyer noted that Fred Jr. 's children, Fred III and Mary L. Trump, would be treated unequally because they would not receive their deceased father's share, and wrote to Trump that "Given
34650-449: The world's most expensive military , which has the second-largest nuclear arsenal . The president also plays a leading role in federal legislation and domestic policymaking. As part of the system of separation of powers , Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution gives the president the power to sign or veto federal legislation. Since modern presidents are typically viewed as leaders of their political parties, major policymaking
34848-450: The worst presidents in American history. He lost the 2020 presidential election , but did not concede, falsely claiming widespread electoral fraud and attempting to overturn the results , including his involvement in the January 6 Capitol attack . In 2024, he was found guilty of falsifying business records , making him the first U.S. president to be convicted of a felony. He faced more felony indictments related to his interference in
35046-471: The year the company was incorporated (and following Trump's 21st birthday). Trump purportedly built 19 more homes by 1926 in Hollis, Queens , selling some before they were finished to finance others. Investigative journalist Wayne Barrett posits that Trump exaggerated the length of his career in 1934 while arguing in federal court why he should deserve a dissolved company's mortgage servicer . In 1927, Trump
35244-412: Was Trump's fixer , lawyer, and mentor for 13 years in the 1970s and 1980s. According to Trump, Cohn sometimes waived fees due to their friendship. In 1973, Cohn helped Trump countersue the U.S. government for $ 100 million (equivalent to $ 686 million in 2023) over its charges that Trump's properties had racial discriminatory practices. Trump's counterclaims were dismissed, and the government's case
35442-506: Was a teetotaler and an authoritarian parent , imposing strict table manners and curfews, as well as forbidding cursing, lipstick, and snacking between meals. At the end of his day, Trump would receive a report from Mary on the children's actions and, if necessary, decide upon disciplinary actions. Additionally, the mansion featured a surveillance system and an intercom , which Trump used to censure his children. He took his children to building sites to collect empty bottles to return for
35640-475: Was a guest commentator on Fox & Friends . From 2004 to 2015, Trump was co-producer and host of reality shows The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice . On the shows, he was a superrich and successful chief executive who eliminated contestants with the catchphrase "you're fired". The New York Times called his portrayal a "highly flattering, highly fictionalized version of Mr. Trump". The shows remade his image for millions of viewers nationwide. With
35838-555: Was a significant milestone, as Jackson was not part of the Virginia and Massachusetts elite that had held the presidency for its first 40 years. Jacksonian democracy sought to strengthen the presidency at the expense of Congress, while broadening public participation as the nation rapidly expanded westward. However, his successor, Martin Van Buren , became unpopular after the Panic of 1837 , and
36036-426: Was a tenant of Beach Haven Apartments from 1950 to 1951. In his unrecorded song " Old Man Trump ", he complains about the rent and accused Trump of stirring up racial hate "in the bloodpot of human hearts". Similarly, in an unreleased version of " Ain't Got No Home ", Guthrie states: Beach Haven is Trump's Tower Where no Black folks come to roam No, no, Old Man Trump! Old Beach Haven ain't my home! Trump
36234-548: Was arrested at a Ku Klux Klan demonstration, although there is no conclusive evidence that he supported the organization. In 1933, Trump built one of New York City's first modern supermarkets , called Trump Market, in Woodhaven, Queens. It was modeled on Long Island 's King Kullen , a self-service supermarket chain. Trump's store advertised "Serve Yourself and Save!" and quickly became popular. After six months, Trump sold it to King Kullen. In federal court in 1934, Trump and
36432-457: Was at Donald's 1993 wedding (to Marla Maples ) despite being designated the best man . Donald claimed that he first noticed his father exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer's in the mid-1990s. In 1993, the anticipated shares of Trump's estate amounted to $ 35 million for each surviving child. Most of his buildings were transferred to two grantor-retained annuity trusts under his and his wife's names, which were used to give about two-thirds of
36630-650: Was at the direction of his boss. Both of the aforementioned advocacy organizations then raised the issue with the Justice Department . In October 1973, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Trump Organization (Fred Trump, chair, and Donald Trump, president) for infringing the Fair Housing Act of 1968 . In response, Trump attorney Roy Cohn countersued for $ 100 million in damages, accusing
36828-504: Was available as a remedy. As of October 2019, a case was pending in the federal courts regarding access to personal tax returns in a criminal case brought against Donald Trump by the New York County District Attorney alleging violations of New York state law. As head of state , the president represents the United States government to its own people and represents the nation to the rest of the world. For example, during
37026-496: Was banished for dodging the draft . The family returned to New York on July 1, 1905, and moved to the Bronx , where Frederick Christ Trump was born on October 11. Fred's younger brother, John G. Trump , was born in 1907. All three children were raised speaking German . In September 1908, the family moved to Woodhaven, Queens . Many details of Trump's childhood come from autobiographical accounts and emphasize independence, learning and especially hard work – to
37224-658: Was employed at his father's real estate company, Trump Management, which owned racially segregated middle-class rental housing in New York City's outer boroughs. In 1971, his father made him president of the company and he began using the Trump Organization as an umbrella brand . In 1975, Trump settled a 1973 Department of Justice civil rights lawsuit alleging housing discrimination against black renters by consenting to desegregate. Between 1991 and 2009, he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for six of his businesses:
37422-544: Was estimated to be $ 2.3 billion (1,438th in the world). In 2018, journalist Jonathan Greenberg reported that Trump had called him in 1984 pretending to be a fictional Trump Organization official named " John Barron ". Greenberg said that, to get a higher ranking on the Forbes 400 list of wealthy Americans, Trump, speaking as "Barron", falsely asserted that Donald Trump owned more than 90 percent of his father's business. Greenberg also wrote that Forbes had vastly overestimated Trump's wealth and wrongly included him on
37620-401: Was financed with $ 675 million in junk bonds and completed for $ 1.1 billion, opening in April 1990. He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1991. Under the provisions of the restructuring agreement, he gave up half his initial stake and personally guaranteed future performance. To reduce his $ 900 million of personal debt, he sold the Trump Shuttle airline; his megayacht,
37818-417: Was made in the Declaration of Independence , which was written predominantly by Thomas Jefferson and adopted unanimously on July 4, 1776, by the Second Continental Congress. Recognizing the necessity of closely coordinating their efforts against the British , the Continental Congress simultaneously began the process of drafting a constitution that would bind the states together. There were long debates on
38016-539: Was nearly removed from office, with Congress remaining powerful during the two-term presidency of Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant . After the end of Reconstruction , Grover Cleveland would eventually become the first Democratic president elected since before the war, running in three consecutive elections (1884, 1888, 1892) and winning twice. In 1900, William McKinley became the first incumbent to win re-election since Grant in 1872. After McKinley's assassination by Leon Czolgosz in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became
38214-402: Was reported that Trump's four surviving children would sell the apartments they acquired in 1997 to an investment group led by Rubin Schron , priced at $ 600 million; the sale occurred in May 2004. The 2016 leak of Donald Trump's tax information from 2005, which showed an income of $ 153 million, prompted The New York Times to investigate, leading to the 2018 exposé. The Times reported that
38412-407: Was settled with the Trumps signing a consent decree agreeing to desegregate. In 1975, an agreement was struck requiring Trump's properties to furnish the New York Urban League with a list of all apartment vacancies, every week for two years, among other things. Cohn introduced political consultant Roger Stone to Trump, who enlisted Stone's services to deal with the federal government. According to
38610-448: Was the 92-story mixed-use Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago) which opened in 2008. In 2024, the New York Times and ProPublica reported that the Internal Revenue Service was investigating whether he had twice written off losses incurred through construction cost overruns and lagging sales of residential units in the building he had declared to be worthless on his 2008 tax return. In 1984, Trump opened Harrah's at Trump Plaza ,
38808-429: Was the first branch of government described in the Constitution , to be the dominant branch of government; however, they did not expect a strong executive department. However, presidential power has shifted over time, which has resulted in claims that the modern presidency has become too powerful, unchecked, unbalanced, and "monarchist" in nature. In 2008 professor Dana D. Nelson expressed belief that presidents over
39006-563: Was the most recent to do so in July 1948, known as the Turnip Day Session . In addition, prior to ratification of the Twentieth Amendment in 1933, which brought forward the date on which Congress convenes from December to January, newly inaugurated presidents would routinely call the Senate to meet to confirm nominations or ratify treaties. In practice, the power has fallen into disuse in the modern era as Congress now formally remains in session year-round, convening pro forma sessions every three days even when ostensibly in recess. Correspondingly,
39204-464: Was then valued at $ 51.8 million. Following Trump's death, Fred Jr.'s children contested their grandfather's will, citing his dementia and claiming that the will was "procured by fraud and undue influence" by Donald, Maryanne, and Robert Trump. These three had claimed in their legal depositions that Fred Trump was "sharp as a tack" until just before his death, but otherwise stated that they were aware of his cognitive decline. In December 2003, it
#254745