US President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Photo: PTI
Donald Trump | 13 interesting titbits about the 47th US President
Trump has always had a larger-than-life image, and is known for his unpredictable nature, especially during his first term as the US president
After a hiatus of four years, American business magnate turned politician Donald Trump is all set for his second innings at the White House. As the world waits with bated breath for Trump’s inauguration on Monday (January), here are some interesting titbits from the life of the 47th President of the United States
German, Scottish descent: Donald John Trump was born in 1946 in Queens, New York City, to Fred Trump and Mary Anne MacLeod. Of German and Scottish descent, Trump is the fourth of five children.
Education: He studied in private schools and was reportedly more interested in business than in his studies even as a child. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968.
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Military duty: He was exempted from the draft during the Vietnam War due to bone spurs in his heels.
Business: Trump joined his father’s real estate company, Trump Management, in 1968. His father made him the president of the company in 1971, and he used the Trump Organisation as his umbrella brand.
Clubs: Trump acquired the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida in 1985, and converted it into a private club in 1995. He continued to use one wing in the house as a private residence. His company, the Trump Organisation, owns 14 golf courses and manages three other Trump-branded courses worldwide.
3 wives: Trump has had three wives. He was married to his first wife, Ivana Zelnickova, from 1977 to 1990. He and his second wife, Marla Maples, were together for six years from 1993 to 1999. His present wife is Melania, whom he married in 2005.
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Children: Trump has five children – two daughters and three sons. Donald Jr, Ivana, and Eric are his children from his first wife, Ivana. Tiffany is his daughter from his marriage to Marla, and the youngest, Barron, is his son from Melania.
Bankruptcies: The future president of the United States filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for six of his businesses between 1991 and 2009.
Loan default: In 1995, Trump reportedly defaulted on over $3 billion of bank loans, and the banks seized the Plaza Hotel and most of his other properties in a restructuring that allowed him to avoid personal bankruptcy.
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Civil and criminal cases: Trump has had to face several civil and criminal cases over the years, including the 2020 election federal indictment, classified documents federal indictment, the indictments in New York over the Stormy Daniels scandal and the Karen McDougal affair, financial fraud investigations, Georgia election indictment, and others.
Side “hustles”: He bought the New Jersey Generals, a team in the US Football League, in 1983.
His Plaza Hotel hosted several boxing matches at the Atlantic City Convention Hall.
He lent his name to the Tour de Trump cycling stage race, an attempt to create an American equivalent of the Tour de France.
He operated an airline, the Trump Shuttle, from 1988 to 1992.
He purchased the Miss Universe pageants, including the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, in 1996.
He cofounded Trump University in 2005, and was forced to change the name to 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.
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Charity: He founded the Donald J Trump Foundation in 1988, which gave money to health and sports-related charities and conservative groups. The foundation ceased operations in 2018.
‘Writer’: Trump has published 19 books under his name, most of which were reportedly written or co-written by ghostwriters. He became a TV star with the show The Apprentice, which he coproduced and hosted from 2004 to 2015. He was portrayed as a wealthy chief executive who eliminated contestants with the catchphrase “you’re fired”.
