Donald Trump
Donald John Trump | |||
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45th President of the United States From: January 20, 2017 – present | |||
Vice President | Mike Pence | ||
Predecessor | Barack Obama | ||
Successor | Incumbent (no successor) | ||
Information | |||
Party | Republican (1987–1999, 2009–2011, 2012–present) formerly Democrat (until 1987, 2001–2009), Reform (1999–2001), and Independent (2011–2012) | ||
Spouse(s) | Ivana Trump Marla Maples Melania Trump (current) | ||
Religion | Presbyterian |
- For his achievements as U.S. President, see Donald Trump achievements.
- Donald Trump was Conservative of the Year in 2017 and 2018.
Donald John Trump (b. Queens, New York, on June 14, 1946), nicknamed "The Donald", is the 45th President of the United States of America, as a result of winning the 2016 presidential election as the Republican Party nominee. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality. Trump has achieved much during his presidency and has advanced some conservative priorities. However, he is not a true conservative due to his positions on national debt and welfare programs.
Financial worth & education
Trump has engaged in many financial pursuits and estimated that his net worth was $10 billion, as of July 2015.[1] Forbes, however, estimates his net worth is $3.1 billion as of 2019.[2] He graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1964 and first attended college at Fordham University for two years before transferring to the more competitive University of Pennsylvania and completing his undergraduate studies at its Wharton School of Finance and Commerce.
Early media profiles of Trump claim he graduated "first in his class" from Wharton.[3] The evidence suggests otherwise and yet Trump has never sought to correct or clarify this potentially significant error.[4]
Candidacy
On June 16, 2015, he declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election.[5] Unlike most other U.S presidential candidates, Trump sharply criticizes the media and talks about issues that no elected official dares touch. For example, Trump stands up against feminists, unlike most politicians. In another example, in 2011 Trump persistently doubted whether Barack Obama had been born in the United States, which caused Obama's approval ratings to drop below 40% until Obama finally caved in to Trump and produced what Obama claimed was his birth certificate. Trump then scoffed at Obama's conduct.
In February 2011, Trump announced that he is pro-life, and at the final presidential debate on Oct. 19, 2016, Trump gave the strongest endorsement of the pro-life position of any presidential nominee in history.
Trump's central campaign theme has been to oppose illegal immigration and free trade, and nominated Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General to enforce standing legislation on the issue. As reported by Breitbart, "Sen. Sessions, Chairman of the Senate’s Immigration Subcommittee, is widely regarded as the gold standard on immigration. Sessions has also become the intellectual thought leader in the Republican Party on appealing to the blue collar voters who have been abandoned by their political leaders." [6] In the later campaign Trump focused more on ISIS and terrorism.
At the final presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Trump on October 19, 2016, Clinton chastised Trump for running a newspaper advertisement in 1987 critical of the Reagan Administration. But Trump persuasively explained that he has always disagreed with Reagan's support of free trade, as many other conservatives disagree with Reagan on this issue.
Religious beliefs
- For more detailed treatments, see Donald Trump's religious views and Donald Trump and evangelicals.
Donald Trump attended the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens. He told the Christian Broadcasting Network that he still considers himself a Presbyterian and attends services for all major holidays and Sundays, and that "The Bible is certainly THE book." He receives Bibles from fans in the mail, and he either stores them or gives them away to others.[7]
In July 2015, Trump stated in an interview that "Why do I have to repent or ask for forgiveness, if I am not making mistakes?"[8] He also stated that "I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture. I don't."[9] January 2016, Trump stated that "I have a great relationship with God," but that "I don’t like to have to ask for forgiveness."[10] When confronted by Cal Thomas in an interview in mid 2016 about his not asking God for forgiveness, Trump stated that he would ask God for forgiveness.[11] In October 2016, Ben Carson stated that Trump did ask forgiveness from God with James Robison.[12]
According to exit polling in the 2016 election, Trump won 81 percent of evangelical Christians compared to 16 percent for Clinton, a record high and even more than George W. Bush won in 2004, showing strong support for Trump from evangelical Christians.[13][14] He was the first sitting American president to address the annual Values Voters Conference in Washington.[15]
Career
Donald Trump began his career at Trump Organization. In his college years, he helped revitalize one of his father's failing real estate ventures. Trump began opening hotels and casinos, which provided him with the cash flow to engage in other ventures. He owns the world-famous Trump Tower and is the founder of the publicly traded Trump Hotel Casinos & Resorts. Trump also owns the Trump brand, which sells a variety of items, such as bottled water, steak, and even mortgages. Trump has authored a number of books and weathered changing business fortunes, but despite the challenges that he has encountered, he has continued to be a successful businessman and entrepreneur.
Trump [[Donald Trump presidential campaign- ↑ LoGiurato, Brett (July 25, 2015). "We finally know a lot more about Donald Trump's 'massive' net worth". Business Insider website.
- ↑ "The world's most powerful people: #2 Donald Trump". (March 6, 2017). Forbes.com website.
- ↑ Whitman, Alden (January 28, 1973). "A builder looks back—and moves forward". New York Times. Retrieved from New York Times website.
- ↑ Geist, William E. (April 8, 1984). "The expanding empire of Donald Trump". New York Times Magazine. Retrieved from New York Times website.
- ↑ Multiple references:
- "Trump announces White House bid, joins crowded GOP field" (June 16, 2015). Fox News website/Politics. The front-runner in a record-breaking field of 17 Republican candidates, Trump announced that he did not anticipate "throwing punches" against his rivals in the first GOP debate.
- Chiacu, Donna and Torbati, Yeganeh (August 2, 2015). "Trump says won't be 'throwing punches' in U.S. Republican debate". Reuters/Politics. But at the debate the Fox News Channel—particularly its feminist non-journalist Megyn Kelly—ambushed Trump with out-of-context quotations designed to smear him as somehow being anti-women. This ignited a national controversy that lasted for days, and Trump called upon Kelly to apologize, which she refused to do.
- ↑ Hahn, Julia (August 14, 2015). "Game change: Trump consults with Sen Jeff Sessions on immigration strategy". Breitbart website/Big government.
- ↑ Haberman, Maggie (April 11, 2011). "Donald Trump talks about religion". Politico website.
- ↑ Nothstine, Ray (July 23, 2015). Trump: 'Why Do I Have to Repent or Ask for Forgiveness If I Am Not Making Mistakes?' (Video). The Christian Post. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
- ↑ Scott, Eugene (July 18, 2015). Trump believes in God, but hasn't sought forgiveness. CNN. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ↑ Key, Pam (January 17, 2016). Trump: ‘I Don’t Like to Have to Ask for Forgiveness’ from God. Breitbart News. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
- ↑ Chumley, Cheryl (August 6, 2016). Trump answers question: 'Who do you say Jesus is? WorldNetDaily. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
- ↑ Showalter, Brandon (October 10, 2016). Ben Carson: Donald Trump Asked God for Forgiveness, Prayed With James Robison. The Christian Post. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
- ↑ O'Brien, Cortney (November 12, 2016). Evangelical Voters Showed Up Big Time For Trump. Townhall. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ↑ Lovett, Ian (November 9, 2016). Evangelicals Back Donald Trump in Record Numbers, Despite Earlier Doubts. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ↑ https://www.npr.org/2017/10/13/557459193/trump-set-to-address-values-voter-summit-for-first-time-as-president