This Article is about 45th President of the United States
Donald Trump
In This Article You will find:
- 1 Personal life
- 1.1 Ancestry
- 1.2 Education
- 1.3 Family
- 1.4 Religion
- 1.5 Health
- 1.6 Wealth
- 2 Real estate career
- 2.1 Early Manhattan developments
- 2.2 Palm Beach estate
- 2.3 Atlantic City casinos
- 2.4 Legal affairs
- 2.5 More buildings in New York and worldwide
- 2.6 Golf courses
- 3 Business career beyond real estate
- 3.1 Sports events
- 3.2 Beauty pageants
- 3.3 Model management
- 3.4 Trump University
- 3.5 Branding and licensing
- 3.6 Foundation
- 4 Media career
- 4.1 The Apprentice
- 4.2 Professional wrestling
- 5 Political career up to 2015
- 5.1 Early involvement in politics
- 5.2 2000 presidential campaign
- 5.3 Political affiliations
- 6 2016 presidential campaign
- 6.1 Primaries
- 6.2 General election campaign
- 6.3 Presidential debates
- 6.4 Political positions
- 6.5 Foreign interference in election and FBI Investigation
- 6.6 Sexual misconduct allegations
- 6.7 Election to the presidency
- 6.8 Protests
- 7 Presidency
Donald John Trump
(born June 14, 1946)
| Political Party | Republican (1987–99, 2009–11, 2012 present) |
|---|
Trump was born and raised in Queens, New York City, and earned an economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He then took charge of The Trump Organization, the real estate and construction firm founded by his paternal grandmother, which he ran for four and a half decades until 2017. During his business career, Trump built, renovated, and managed numerous office towers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses.
He is an American businessman, television personality, politician, and the 45th President of the United States.
He has lent the use of his name for the branding of various products and properties. He owned the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants from 1996 to 2015, and he hosted The Apprentice, a reality television series on NBC, from 2004 to 2015. As of 2017, Forbes listed him as the 544th wealthiest person in the world (201st in the United States) with a net worth of $3.5 billion.
Trump won the general election on November 8, 2016, in a surprise victory against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. He became the oldest and wealthiest person to assume the presidency, the first without prior military or government service, and the fifth elected with less than a plurality of the national popular vote. His political positions have been described by scholars and commentators as populist, protectionist, and nationalist.
Trump first publicly expressed interest in running for political office in 1987. He won two Reform Party presidential primaries in 2000, but withdrew his candidacy early on. In June 2015, he launched his campaign for the 2016 presidential election, and quickly emerged as the front-runner among 17 candidates in the Republican primaries. His final opponents suspended their campaigns in May 2016, and in July he was formally nominated at the Republican National Convention along with Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate. His campaign received unprecedented media coverage and international attention. Many of the statements that he made in interviews, on social media, and at campaign rallies were controversial or false.
Personal life
Trump was born on June 14, 1946 at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York City. He was the fourth of five children born to Frederick Christ "Fred" Trump (1905–1999) and Mary Anne Trump (née MacLeod, 1912–2000).[2][3] His siblings are Maryanne (born 1937), Fred Jr. (1938–1981), Elizabeth (born 1942), and Robert (born 1948).Ancestry
Further information: Trump family
Trump's ancestors originate from the village of Kallstadt, Palatinate, Germany on his father's side, and from the Outer Hebrides isles of Scotland
on his mother's. All his grandparents, and his mother, were born in
Europe. His mother's grandfather was also christened "Donald".[4]His paternal grandfather, Friedrich Trump, first emigrated to the United States in 1885 (aged 16), became a citizen in 1892, and amassed a fortune operating boom-town restaurants and boarding houses in the Seattle area and the Klondike region of Canada, during the gold rush.[5] On a visit to his home town, he met Elisabeth Christ and married her in 1902. After two years in New York City, the couple returned to Kallstadt but was ordered to leave in 1905 because Friedrich had skipped military service, so they settled in New York definitively.He died from the flu pandemic of 1918 and Elizabeth incorporated the family real estate business, Elizabeth Trump and Son, which would later become The Trump Organization.
Trump's father Fred was born in the Bronx, and worked with his mother since he was 15 as a real estate developer mainly near Manhattan, eventually building and selling thousands of houses, barracks and apartments.[8][9] Trump's mother Mary Anne emigrated in 1930 (aged 18) from her birthplace of Tong, Lewis, Scotland to New York, where she worked as a maid.[10] Fred and Mary were married in 1936 and raised their family in Queens. Elizabeth's second son, John, became a notable physicist and inventor.
Education
Trump at New York Military Academy, 1964
In August 1964, Trump entered Fordham University in the Bronx. In September, 1966, he transferred to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, because it offered one of the few real estate studies departments in United States academia at the time. [16][17]
In addition to his father, other role models whom he sought to emulate included the Manhattan developer William Zeckendorf.[18][19][20] While at Wharton, he worked at the family's company, Elizabeth Trump & Son, named for his paternal grandmother.[21] He graduated from Penn in May 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics.[17][22][23]
Trump was not drafted during the Vietnam War.[24] While in college from 1964 to 1968, he obtained four student deferments.[25] In 1966, he was deemed fit for service based upon a military medical examination, and in 1968 was briefly classified as fit by a local draft board, but was given a 1-Y medical deferment in October 1968.[26] He attributed his medical deferment to heel spurs.[27] In 1969, he received a high number in the draft lottery, which would also have likely exempted him from service.
Family
Family of Donald Trump
Trump married his first wife, Czech model Ivana Zelníčková, in 1977 at the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan. The ceremony was performed by Reverend Norman Vincent Peale.[33][34] The couple had three children: Donald Jr. (born 1977), Ivanka (born 1981), and Eric (born 1984). Ivana was naturalized as a United States citizen in 1988.[35] The couple divorced in 1990 following Trump's affair with actress Marla Maples.[36]
In 1993, Maples gave birth to their daughter Tiffany.[37] They married two months later, with Trump's father Fred assisting as best man.[38] The couple separated in 1997 and eventually divorced in 1999.
Following his second divorce, Trump entered a steady relationship with Slovene model Melania Knauss. They were married in 2005 at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church on the island of Palm Beach, Florida. A reception followed at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, attended by Bill and Hillary Clinton among other celebrities.[41][42][43] In 2006, Melania became a naturalized United States citizen.[44] Later that year, she gave birth to their son Barron.[45][46] In addition to English, Barron is also fluent in Slovenian.[47] Melania Trump is now the First Lady of the United States.
Upon acceding to the presidency, Trump delegated the management of his real estate business to his two adult sons, Eric and Don Jr.[48] Meanwhile, his daughter Ivanka resigned from The Trump Organization and moved to Washington with her husband Jared Kushner, who serves as a senior advisor in the White House.[49] Trump's elder sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, is a federal appeals court judge on the Third Circuit, now inactive.[50]
Religion
The Trump family were originally Lutherans in Germany,[51] and his mother's upbringing was Presbyterian in Scotland.[52] His parents married in a Manhattan Presbyterian church in 1936.[53] As a child, he attended Sunday School at the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, and had his confirmation there.[54][54] In the 1970s, his family joined the Marble Collegiate Church (a New York City affiliate of the Reformed Church in America) in Manhattan.[55] The pastor at that church, Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking and The Art of Living, ministered to Trump's family and mentored him until Peale's death in 1993.[56][55] Trump, who is Presbyterian,[57][58] has cited Peale and his works during interviews when asked about the role of religion in his personal life.[55]After marrying his first wife Ivana in 1977 at Marble Collegiate Church, he attended that church until 2013.[59][54] In 2016, Trump visited Bethesda-by-the-Sea, an Episcopal church, for Christmas services.[60] Trump has said that he participates in Holy Communion. Beyond that, he has not asked God for forgiveness, stating: "I think if I do something wrong, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture."[61]
Trump refers to his ghostwritten book The Art of the Deal, a bestseller following publication in 1987, as "my second favorite book of all time, after the Bible. Nothing beats the Bible."[62][63] In a 2016 speech to Liberty University, he referred to "Two Corinthians" instead of "Second Corinthians", eliciting chuckles from the audience.[64] Despite this, The New York Times reported that Evangelical Christians nationwide thought "that his heart was in the right place, that his intentions for the country were pure".[65]
Outside of his church affiliations, Trump has relationships with a number of Christian spiritual leaders, including Florida pastor Paula White, who has been described as his "closest spiritual confidant".[66] In 2015, he asked for and received a blessing from Greek Orthodox priest Emmanuel Lemelson[67] and, in 2016, released a list of his religious advisers, including James Dobson, Jerry Falwell Jr., Ralph Reed and others.[68] Referring to his daughter Ivanka's conversion to Judaism before her marriage to Jared Kushner, Trump said in 2015: "I have a Jewish daughter; and I am very honored by that […] it wasn't in the plan but I am very glad it happened."[69]
Health
A 2016 medical report issued by his doctor, Harold Bornstein M.D., showed that Trump's blood pressure, liver and thyroid function were in normal ranges.[70][71] Trump says that he has never smoked cigarettes or consumed other drugs, including marijuana.[72][73] He also drinks no alcohol, a decision arising in part from watching his older brother Fred Jr. suffer from alcoholism until his early death in 1981.[74][75][76]Wealth
Trump Hotel Las Vegas, with gold infused glass[77]
When he announced his candidacy on June 16, 2015, Trump released a one-page financial summary that stated a net worth of $8,737,540,000.[80] He declared, "I'm really rich", which he said would make him less reliant upon large campaign donations.[81][82] Forbes believed his suggestion of $9 billion was "a whopper", figuring it was actually $4.1 billion.[83][nb 1] Trump has stated that his income for the year 2014 was $362 million.[86]
After Trump made controversial remarks about illegal immigrants in 2015, he lost business contracts with NBCUniversal, Univision, Macy's, Serta, PVH Corporation, and Perfumania, which Forbes estimated negatively impacted his net worth by $125 million.[87] The value of the Trump brand may have fallen further during his presidential campaign, as some consumers boycotted Trump-branded products and services to protest his candidacy.[88] Bookings and foot traffic at Trump-branded properties fell off sharply in 2016,[89][90] and the release of the Access Hollywood tape recordings in October 2016 exacerbated this.[91]
In their 2017 annual billionaires' rankings, Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $3.5 billion (544th in the world, 201st in the U.S.)[1] and Bloomberg News estimates it at $3 billion,[85] making him one of the richest politicians in American history. Trump himself stated that his net worth was over $10 billion,[86] with the discrepancy essentially stemming from the uncertain value of appraised property and of his personal brand.[85][92]
Personal taxes
Trump has refused to release his tax returns saying instead that the financial filings he was required to file as a candidate are sufficient. He has also said, his returns are under audit and does not wish to release them while the audit is in progress. [93] On October 1, 2016, the New York Times obtained three pages of Trump's 1995 tax return. A reporter claimed that the documents were received in her Times mailbox. Each of the three pages is one page from Trump's state filings in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. They show that using allowed deductions for losses, Trump claimed a loss of $916 million on his 1995 federal tax returns. During the second presidential debate, Trump acknowledged using the deduction, but declined to provide details such as the specific years it was applied.[94] When asked if he used the tax code to avoid paying taxes, he said, "Of course I did. Of course I did." He then went on to say he paid "hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes", calling it a "simple" thing. "I pay tax, and I pay federal tax, too", he said.[95][96][97]On March 14, 2017 the first two pages of Trump's 2005 1040 federal income tax returns were sent to author David Cay Johnston, who in turn, shared them with Rachel Maddow of MSNBC. The released documents 1040 tax return form, showed that Trump paid $38 million in federal taxes and had a gross adjusted income of $150 million.[98][99] Before the show went on air, the White House confirmed the authenticity of the documents and stated: "Despite this substantial income figure and tax paid, it is totally illegal to steal and publish tax returns."[98][99]
Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan
Central Park's Wollman Rink, which was renovated by Trump
Real estate career
While a student at the University of Pennsylvania, Trump began his real estate career at his father's company,[100] Elizabeth Trump and Son.[101] The company focused on middle-class rental housing in the New York City boroughs outside Manhattan, but also had business elsewhere. For example, during his undergraduate study, Trump and his father Fred successfully revitalized the foreclosed Swifton Village apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio boosting the occupancy rate from 66% to 100%.[102]After being promoted to president of the company in the early 1970s (while his father became chairman of the board), he renamed it to The Trump Organization.[103][104] In 1973, he and his father drew wider attention when the Justice Department contended that the organization systematically discriminated against African Americans wishing to rent apartments, rather than merely screening out people based on low income as the Trumps stated. An agreement was later signed in which the Trumps made no admission of wrongdoing, and under which qualified minority applicants would be presented by the Urban League.[105][106] His adviser, publicist, and attorney during (and after) that period was Roy Cohn, who responded to attacks by counterattacking with maximum force, a tactic that Trump appreciated.[107]
Early Manhattan developments
In 1978, Trump consummated his first major real estate deal in Manhattan, purchasing a half-share in the decrepit Commodore Hotel, largely funded by a $70 million construction loan jointly guaranteed by Fred Trump and the Hyatt hotel chain. After remodeling, the hotel reopened as the Grand Hyatt Hotel, located next to Grand Central Terminal.[108][109]Also in 1978, Trump finished negotiations to develop Trump Tower, a 58-story, 202-meter (663-foot) skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, for which The New York Times attributed his "persistence" and "skills as a negotiator".[110] The building was completed in 1983, and houses both the primary penthouse condominium residence of Trump and the headquarters of The Trump Organization.[111][112] Trump Tower was the setting of the NBC television show The Apprentice, and includes a fully functional television studio set.[113]
Repairs on the Wollman Rink (originally opened in 1949 in Central Park) were started in 1980 by a general contractor unconnected to Trump. Despite an expected 2 1⁄2-year construction schedule, the repairs were not completed by 1986. Trump took over the project, completed it in three months for $750,000 less than the initial budget of $1.95 million, and operated the rink for one year with all profits going to charity in exchange for the rink's concession rights.[114]
Trump acquired the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan in 1988 for $400 million, and asked his then-wife Ivana to manage its operation and renovation.[115] The hotel was built in 1907, and Trump called it "the ultimate work of art". According to hotel expert Thomas McConnell, the Trumps boosted it from a three-star to a four-star ranking, and sold it in 1995 by which time Ivana was no longer involved.[116]
Palm Beach estate
Trump acquired the historic Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1985 for $5 million, plus $3 million for the home's furnishings. It was built from 1924 to 1927 by heiress and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, who envisioned the house as a future winter retreat for American presidents.In addition to using the home for this purpose, Trump also turned it into a private club with membership fees of $150,000. At about the same time, he acquired a condominium complex in Palm Beach with Lee Iacocca that became Trump Plaza of the Palm Beaches.[117]
Atlantic City casinos
Harrah's at Trump Plaza opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1984. The hotel/casino was built by Trump with financing by Holiday Corporation,[118] and operated by the Harrah's gambling unit of Holiday Corp. Renamed simply "Trump Plaza", the casino's poor results exacerbated disagreements between Trump and Holiday Corp., which led to Trump paying $70 million in May 1986 to buy out Harrah's interest in the property.[119][120] Trump also acquired a partially completed building in Atlantic City from the Hilton Corporation for $320 million. When completed in 1985, the hotel/casino became Trump Castle. Trump's wife, Ivana, managed the property.[121]
Entrance of the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City
The Taj Mahal emerged from bankruptcy on October 5, 1991, with Trump ceding 50 percent ownership in the casino to the bondholders in exchange for lowered interest rates and more time to pay off the debt.[127] He also sold his financially challenged Trump Shuttle airline and his 282-foot (86 m) megayacht, the Trump Princess.[125][128][129]
The Taj Mahal was repurchased in 1996 and consolidated, along with Trump Plaza and Trump Castle, into Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR), which filed for bankruptcy in 2004 with $1.8 billion in debt, filing again for bankruptcy five years later with $50 million in assets and $500 million in debt. The restructuring ultimately left Trump with 10% ownership in the Trump Taj Mahal and other Trump casino properties.[129] Trump served as chairman of the publicly-traded THCR organization, which was renamed Trump Entertainment Resorts, from mid-1995 until early 2009, and served as CEO from mid-2000 to mid-2005.[130]
During the 1990s, Trump's casino ventures faced competition from the Native-American owned Foxwoods casino in Connecticut. In 1993, Trump made controversial comments in his testimony to a Congressional committee, famously stating that the casino owners did not look like real Indians.[131][132] But despite that well-publicized quote which related to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, Trump became a key investor who backed the Paucatuck Eastern Pequots who were seeking state recognition.[133]
Legal affairs
Main article: Legal affairs of Donald Trump
As of 2016, Trump and his businesses had been involved in more than
3,500 state and federal legal actions. Trump or one of his companies was
the plaintiff in 1,900 cases and the defendant in 1,450. As plaintiff,
more than half have been against gamblers at his casinos
who had failed to pay off their debts. As a defendant, the most common
type involved personal injury cases at his hotels. In cases where there
was a clear resolution, Trump's side won 451 times and lost 38.[134][135]Business bankruptcies
Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy, but his hotel and casino businesses have been declared bankrupt six times between 1991 and 2009 in order to re-negotiate debt with banks and owners of stock and bonds.[136][137] Because the businesses used Chapter 11 bankruptcy, they were allowed to operate while negotiations proceeded. Trump was quoted by Newsweek in 2011 saying, "I do play with the bankruptcy laws – they're very good for me" as a tool for trimming debt.[138][139]The six bankruptcies were the result of over-leveraged hotel and casino businesses in Atlantic City and New York: Trump Taj Mahal (1991), Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino (1992), Plaza Hotel (1992), Trump Castle Hotel and Casino (1992), Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts (2004), and Trump Entertainment Resorts (2009).[140][141][142] Trump said, "I've used the laws of this country to pare debt ... We'll have the company. We'll throw it into a chapter. We'll negotiate with the banks. We'll make a fantastic deal. You know, it's like on The Apprentice. It's not personal. It's just business."[126]
A 2016 analysis of Trump's business career by The Economist concluded that his "… performance [from 1985 to 2016] has been mediocre compared with the stock market and property in New York", noting both his successes and bankruptcies.[143] A subsequent analysis by The Washington Post concluded that "Trump is a mix of braggadocio, business failures, and real success."[144]
More buildings in New York and worldwide
Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver
In 2001, Trump completed Trump World Tower, a 72-story residential tower across from the United Nations Headquarters.[147] Trump also began construction on Trump Place, a multi-building development along the Hudson River. He continued to own commercial space in Trump International Hotel and Tower, a 44-story mixed-use (hotel and condominium) tower on Columbus Circle which he acquired in 1996,[148] and also continued to own millions of square feet of other prime Manhattan real estate.[149]
Trump acquired the former Hotel Delmonico in Manhattan in 2002. It was re-opened with 35 stories of luxury condominiums in 2004 as the Trump Park Avenue.[150]
Most recently, The Trump Organization has expanded its footprint beyond the United States, with the co-development and management of hotel towers in Chicago, Honolulu, Las Vegas, New York City, Washington D.C., Panama City, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Ties to Russia
Main article: Business projects of Donald Trump in Russia
Trump has pursued business deals in Russia since 1987, although his
real estate projects there never materialized. In 1996, Trump filed trademark applications for potential Russian real estate development deals.[151][152] Along with his partners and children, Trump visited Moscow several times, connecting with developers and government officials to explore joint venture opportunities.[153][154][155][156]
However, some of his real estate developments outside Russia have
received a large part of their financing from private Russian investors,
sometimes referred to as "oligarchs". In 2008 his son Donald Trump Jr.
said "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot
of our assets" and "we see a lot of money pouring in from Russia".[157][158][159] Trump hosted the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, in partnership with Russian billionaire Aras Agalarov, but, as of 2017, he has no known investments or businesses in Russia.[153][155]Golf courses
Turnberry Hotel in Ayrshire, Scotland
In 2006, Trump bought the Menie Estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland and created a golf resort against the wishes of some local residents[163] on an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[164][165] A 2011 independent documentary, You've Been Trumped, by British filmmaker Anthony S. Baxter, chronicled the golf resort's construction and the subsequent nimbyism struggles between the locals and Trump.[166] Despite Trump's promises of 6,000 jobs, he stated in 2016 that the golf course has created only 200 jobs.[167] In June 2015, Trump made an appeal objecting to an offshore windfarm being built within sight of the golf course,[168] which was dismissed by five justices at the UK Supreme Court in December 2015.[169]
In April 2014, Trump purchased the Turnberry hotel and golf resort in Ayrshire, Scotland, which hosted the Open Championship 4 times between 1977 and 2009.[170][171] After extensive renovations and a remodeling of the course by golf architect Martin Ebert, Turnberry was re-opened on June 24, 2016.[172]
Business career beyond real estate
Main article: Business career of Donald Trump
After Trump took charge of the family real estate firm in 1971, and renamed it The Trump Organization,
he not only greatly expanded its real estate operations, but also
ventured into numerous other business activities. The company eventually
became the umbrella organization for several hundred individual
business ventures and partnerships.[173]When Trump was elected president in November 2016, the question arose how he would avoid conflicts of interest with his work in the White House and his business activities. At a press conference on January 10, 2017, Trump said he and his daughter Ivanka would resign all roles with The Trump Organization, while his two oldest sons Don Jr. and Eric would run the business, together with Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg.[174]
Trump retains his financial stake in the business.[175] His attorney Sherri Dillon said that before the January 20 inauguration, Trump would put those business assets into a trust, which would hire an ethics advisor and a compliance counsel. She added that the Trump Organization would not pursue any new foreign business deals, while continuing to pursue domestic.
Trump University
Trump University LLC was an American for-profit education company that ran a real estate training program from 2005 until at least 2010.[201] After multiple lawsuits, the business is now defunct. It was founded by Trump and his associates, Michael Sexton and Jonathan Spitalny, and offered courses, charging between $1,500 and $35,000 per course.[202][203] In 2005 the operation was notified by New York State authorities that its use of the word "university" violated state law, and after a second such notification in 2010, the name of the company was changed to the "Trump Entrepreneurial Institute".[204] Trump was also found personally liable for failing to obtain a business license for the operation.[205]
In 2013, the State of New York filed a $40 million civil suit alleging that Trump University made false claims and defrauded consumers.[204][206] In addition, two class-action civil lawsuits were filed in federal court relating to Trump University; they named Trump personally as well as his companies.[207] During the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly criticized Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel who oversaw those two cases, alleging bias because of his Mexican heritage.[208][209][210] Trump later said that his concerns about Curiel's impartiality were not based upon ethnicity alone, but also upon rulings in the case.
The Low v. Trump case was set for trial on November 28, 2016 in San Diego.[213] Shortly after Trump won the presidency, the parties agreed to a settlement of all three pending cases. In the settlement, Trump did not admit to any wrongdoing but agreed to pay a total of $25 million.[214][215] The litigants agreed to the settlement just an hour before a hearing regarding Trump's latest request to delay the trial until after the inauguration. Jason Forge, the attorney for the plaintiffs, said he "definitely detected a change of tone and change of approach" from the Trump representatives after the election.[216] The settlement was called into question on March 6, 2017, when Sherri Simpson, a Florida bankruptcy lawyer and former Trump University student, filed an objection.
Political career up to 2015
Early involvement in politics
Trump's 1987 advertisement in a December edition of The Boston Globe, criticizing U.S. defense policy.
Trump considered the idea of running for president in 1988, 2004, and 2012, and for Governor of New York in 2006 and 2014, but did not enter those respective races.[259][260] In February 2009, Trump appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and spoke about the automotive industry crisis of 2008–10. He said that "instead of asking for money", General Motors "should go into bankruptcy and work that stuff out in a deal".[261]
Trump publicly speculated about seeking the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, and a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released in March 2011 found Trump leading among potential contenders; he was one point ahead of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.[262] A Newsweek poll conducted in February 2011 showed Trump within a few points of incumbent president Barack Obama, with many voters undecided in the November 2012 general election for president of the United States.[263] A poll released in April 2011 by Public Policy Polling showed Trump having a nine-point lead in a potential contest for the Republican nomination for president while he was still actively considering a run.[264][265] His moves were interpreted by some media as possible promotional tools for his reality show The Apprentice.[266][267][268]
Trump played a leading role in "birther" conspiracy theories that had been circulating since President Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.[269][270] Beginning in March 2011, Trump publicly questioned Obama's citizenship and eligibility to serve as President.[271][272][273] Although the Obama campaign had released a copy of the short-form birth certificate in 2008,[274] Trump demanded to see the original "long-form" certificate.[271] He mentioned having sent investigators to Hawaii to research the question, but he did not follow up with any findings.[271] He also repeated a debunked allegation that Obama's grandmother said she had witnessed his birth in Kenya.[275][276] When the White House later released Obama's long-form birth certificate,[277] Trump took credit for obtaining the document, saying "I hope it checks out."[278] His official biography mentions his purported role in forcing Obama's hand,[279] and he has defended his pursuit of the issue when prompted, later saying that his promotion of the conspiracy made him "very popular".[280] In 2011, Trump had called for Obama to release his student records, questioning whether his grades warranted entry into an Ivy League school.[281] When asked in 2015 whether he believed Obama was born in the United States, Trump said he did not want to discuss the matter further.[282][283] In September 2016, Trump publicly acknowledged that Obama was born in the U.S., and said that the rumors had been started by Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential campaign.[272][284][285]
Trump speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2011
In the 2012 Republican primaries, Trump generally had polled at or below 17 percent among the crowded field of possible candidates.[289] On May 16, 2011, Trump announced he would not run for president in the 2012 election, while also saying he would have become the President of the United States, had he ran.[266]
In 2013, Trump was a featured speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).[290] During the lightly attended early-morning speech, Trump spoke out against illegal immigration, then-President Obama's "unprecedented media protection", and advised against harming Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.[291][292]
Additionally, Trump spent over $1 million in 2013 to research a possible run for president of the United States.[293] In October 2013, New York Republicans circulated a memo suggesting Trump should run for governor of the state in 2014 against Andrew Cuomo. In response to the memo, Trump said that while New York had problems and that its taxes were too high, running for governor was not of great interest to him.[294] In January 2014, Trump made statements denying climate change that were discordant with the opinion of the scientific community.[295] A February 2014 Quinnipiac poll had shown Trump losing to the more popular Cuomo by 37 points in a hypothetical election.[296] In February 2015, Trump told NBC that he was not prepared to sign on for another season of The Apprentice, as he mulled his political future.[297]
2000 presidential campaign
In 1999, Trump filed an exploratory committee to seek the presidential nomination of the Reform Party in 2000.[298][299] A July 1999 poll matching him against likely Republican nominee George W. Bush and likely Democratic nominee Al Gore showed Trump with seven percent support.[300] Trump eventually dropped out of the race due to party infighting, but still won the party's California and Michigan primaries after doing so.[301][302][303][304]Political affiliations
Trump meets with President Ronald Reagan at a 1987 White House reception, 30 years before taking office
In 1999, Trump switched to the Reform Party for three years and ran a presidential exploratory campaign for its nomination. After his run, Trump left the party in 2001, ostensibly due to the involvement of David Duke, Pat Buchanan, and Lenora Fulani.[298]
From 2001 to 2008, Trump identified as a Democrat, but in 2008, he endorsed Republican John McCain for President. In 2009, he officially changed his party registration to Republican.[306] In December 2011, Trump became an independent for five months before returning to the Republican Party, where he later pledged to stay.
2016 presidential campaign
Trump campaigning in Laconia, New Hampshire, on July 16, 2015
In his campaign, Trump said that he disdained political correctness; he also stated that the media had intentionally misinterpreted his words, and he made other claims of adverse media bias.[318][319][320] In part due to his fame, Trump received an unprecedented amount of unpaid coverage from the media during his run for the presidency; this elevated his standing in the Republican primaries.[321]
Republican leaders such as House Speaker Paul Ryan were hesitant to support him during his early quest for the presidency. They doubted his chances of winning the general election and feared that he could harm the image of the Republican Party.[322][323]
The alt-right movement coalesced around Trump's candidacy,[324] due in part to its opposition to multiculturalism and immigration.[325][326] The connection of this group to the Trump campaign is controversial; writers such as Jon Ronson have suggested that the link between Trump and members of the alt-right such as Alex Jones and Roger Stone is a marriage of convenience.[327]
During the campaign, Trump was accused of pandering to white nationalists,[328] especially in his apparent refusal to condemn the support of David Duke, a former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, in a CNN interview with Jake Tapper. He had previously criticized Duke in 1991, disavowed himself from the 2000 Reform Party due to the support of Duke and others, and condemned Duke on the campaign trail both before and after the interview.[329] In August, he appointed Steve Bannon—the executive chairman of Breitbart News—as his campaign CEO; the website was described by Bannon as "the platform for the alt-right".[330] However, Bannon later told the Wall Street Journal that he was an "economic nationalist" but not "a supporter of ethno-nationalism".[331]
Some rallies during the primary season were accompanied by protests or violence, including attacks on protesters inside the rallies, and clashes between protesters and Trump supporters outside the venues.[332][333][334]
Fact-checking organizations have denounced Trump for making a record number of false statements compared to other candidates.[335][336][337] At least four major publications – Politico, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times – have pointed out lies or falsehoods in his campaign statements.[338] Trump's penchant for hyperbole is believed to have roots in the New York real estate scene, where Trump established his wealth. Trump has called his public speaking "truthful hyperbole", though online media outlets such as Yahoo! believed Trump's "truthful hyperbole" to be a political tactic.[339][340] Lucas Graves, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication,[341] opined, of Trump's speaking, that Trump "often speaks in a suggestive way that makes it unclear what exactly he meant, so that fact-checkers "have to be really careful when you pick claims to check to pick things ... that reflect what the speaker was clearly trying to communicate".[342] Other sources, such as NPR, also observed that Trump's statements during the campaign were often opaque or suggestive.[343]
Primaries
Trump rally in the U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 13, 2016
By early 2016, the race had mostly centered on Trump and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz.[346] On Super Tuesday, Trump won the plurality of the vote and remained the front-runner throughout the remainder of the primaries. By March 2016, Trump became poised to win the Republican nomination.[347] After a landslide win in Indiana on May 3, 2016, which prompted the remaining candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich to suspend their presidential campaigns, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus declared Trump the presumptive Republican nominee.[348] With nearly 14 million votes, Trump broke the all-time record for winning the most primary votes in the history of the Republican Party. He also set the record for the largest number of votes against the front runner.[349]
General election campaign
Trump with his running mate Mike Pence at the Republican National Convention on July 20, 2016
Trump–Pence 2016 campaign logo
Clinton had established a significant lead in national polls over Trump throughout most of 2016. In early July, Clinton's lead narrowed in national polling averages following the FBI's re-opening of its investigation into her ongoing email controversy.[352][353][354] In reference to the matter, FBI Director James Comey opined Clinton had been "extremely careless" in her handling of classified government material.[355]
On July 15, 2016, Trump announced his selection of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate.[356] Trump and Pence were officially nominated by the Republican Party on July 19, 2016, at the Republican National Convention.[357] The list of convention speakers and attendees included former presidential nominee Bob Dole, but the other prior nominees did not attend, though John McCain endorsed Trump prior to the convention.[358][359]
Two days later, Trump officially accepted the nomination in a 76-minute speech inspired by Richard Nixon's 1968 acceptance speech.[360] The historically long speech was watched by nearly 35 million people and received mixed reviews, with net negative viewer reactions according to CNN and Gallup polls.[361][362][363]
In late July, Trump came close to Clinton in national polls following a 3 to 4 percentage point convention bounce, in line with the average bounce in conventions since 2004, although it was toward the small side by historical standards.[364] Following Clinton's 7 percent convention bounce, she significantly extended her lead over Trump in national polls at the start of August.[365][366]
Requests to release tax returns
Trump has declined to publicly release any of his full tax returns,[367] which led to speculation about whether or not he was hiding something.[368] Pursuant to FEC regulations, Trump published a 92-page financial disclosure form that listed all his assets, liabilities, income sources and hundreds of business positions.[161]Trump said that his tax returns are being audited and his lawyers advise against release.[369][370] Trump has told the news media that his tax rate was "none of your business", but added, "I fight very hard to pay as little tax as possible."[371][372] Every candidate since Gerald Ford in 1976 released their taxes before the election.[373] Although no law prohibits release of tax returns during an audit, tax attorneys differ about whether such a release is wise legal strategy.[374][375]
In January 2017, a We the People petition demanded that Trump release his tax returns; the petition broke the White House record for number of signatures gathered.[376]
Presidential debates
Main article: United States presidential election debates, 2016
On September 26, 2016, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton faced off in the first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Lester Holt, an anchor with NBC News, was the moderator.[377] This was the most watched presidential debate in United States history.[378] The second presidential debate was held at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri. The beginning narrative of that debate was dominated by a leaked tape of Trump making lewd comments, and counter-accusations by Trump of sexual misconduct by Bill Clinton. Trump had invited four women who had accused Clinton of impropriety to a press conference prior to the debate. The final presidential debate was held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
on October 19. Trump's refusal to say whether or not he would accept
the result of the election, regardless of the outcome, drew particular
press attention.[379][380]
Presidency
Presidency of Donald Trump
Transition
President Obama and President-elect Trump meet in the Oval Office on November 10, 2016, two days after the election
White House appointments
Trump's transition team was led by Chris Christie until November 11, 2016, when Vice President-elect Mike Pence took over.[441] Since then, Trump has chosen RNC chairman Reince Priebus as White House Chief of Staff[442] and businessman and media executive Steve Bannon as Counselor to the President.[443]Cabinet-level nominations
He has nominated Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General,[444] retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor,[445] education reform activist Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education,[446] Governor Nikki Haley as Ambassador to the United Nations,[447] former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao as Secretary of Transportation,[448] U.S. Representative Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services,[449] former campaign rival Ben Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,[450] financier Steve Mnuchin as Secretary of the Treasury,[451] billionaire investor Wilbur Ross as Secretary of Commerce,[452] retired Marine Corps General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense,[453] retired Marine Corps General John F. Kelly as Secretary of Homeland Security,[454] businessman Andrew Puzder as Secretary of Labor[455] (later withdrawn, replaced by attorney and law school dean Alexander Acosta),[456] CEO of ExxonMobil Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State,[457] former Governor Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy,[458] U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke as Secretary of the Interior,[459] and Under Secretary for Health David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.[460]
Despite being nominated promptly during the transition period, most cabinet members were unable to take office on Inauguration Day because of delays in the formal confirmation process. By February 8, 2017, President Trump had fewer cabinet nominees confirmed than any prior president two weeks into their mandate, except George Washington.[461][462] Part of the lateness was ascribed to delays in submitting background-check paperwork, part to obstructionism by Senate Democrats.[463]
Pre-inauguration events
On November 22, Trump outlined his plan for his first 100 days in office in a video posted on YouTube. The plan included the United States' withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and asking the Department of Defense to develop a plan to protect the U.S. from cyber-attack.[464][465]On December 7, Time named Trump as its "Person of the Year".[466] In an interview on The Today Show, he said he was honored by the award, but he took issue with the magazine for referring to him as the "President of the Divided States of America".[467][468] He also opposed Time's decision to change its "Man of the Year" title to "Person of the Year" in 1999, describing the action as too "politically correct".[469] On December 13 he was named Financial Times Person of the Year.[470] In December 2016, Forbes ranked Trump the second most powerful person in the world, after Vladimir Putin and before Angela Merkel.[471]
Based on intelligence reports issued from October 2016 to January 2017, the Obama administration accused the Russian government of trying to influence the U.S. presidential election in favor of Trump, notably by supplying the DNC emails to WikiLeaks for publication.[472] Both Trump,[473] WikiLeaks[474] and Russian officials[475] have denied the allegations.
In January 2017, Trump was briefed on a private intelligence dossier containing "potentially compromising personal and financial information" about his activities in Russia,[476] which he denied.[477] The dossier was also leaked to the press and published.[478] Media evaluation of the dossier ranged from "garbage"[479] to "partially corroborated".[480]
First 100 days
Trump taking the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts
Immigration order
Main articles: Executive Order 13769 and Executive Order 13780
Trump signing Executive Order 13769 at the Pentagon as the Vice President and Secretary of Defense look on
On March 6, 2016, Trump issued a revised executive order, that, among other differences with the original order, excluded Iraq, visa-holders, and permanent residents from the temporary suspension and did not differentiate Syrian refugees from refugees from other countries.[486]
Supreme Court nomination
Main article: Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court nomination
On January 31, Trump nominated U.S. Appeals Court judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy left on the Supreme Court by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.[487]Domestic policy
Energy and climate
Main article: Environmental policy under the Trump administration
Trump's energy policy advocates domestic industrial support for both
fossil and renewable energy sources in order to curb reliance on
Middle-Eastern oil and possibly turn the U.S. into a net energy
exporter.[488] His appointed advisers favor a less regulated energy market and, because they do not consider climate change a threat, see no need for immediate action.[489]Trump does not accept the scientific consensus on climate change.[490][491] In 2012, he said that global warming was a hoax invented by the Chinese, but later said that he was joking.[492][493] He has called the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a "disgrace" and has threatened to cut its budget.[494] Trump has pledged to eliminate the Clean Power Plan[495] and withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, which calls for reductions in carbon emissions in more than 170 countries.[496] After winning the presidency, Trump admitted "some connectivity" between human activity and climate variability and said he has an "open mind" towards the Paris agreement.[497]
Immigration
Main article: Immigration policy of Donald Trump
Trump speaking with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly on January 25, 2017
Following the November 2015 Paris attacks, Trump made a controversial proposal to completely ban Muslim non-citizens from entering the United States until stronger vetting systems could be implemented.[505][506][507] Later in 2016 he stated that the ban would apply only to people originating from countries with a "proven history of terrorism against the United States or its allies", or countries "compromised by terrorism".[508][509][510]
In late January 2017, Trump issued an executive order banning the admission of immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries.[511] The order was imposed without warning and took effect immediately;[512] the measure caused chaos at many airports, with consecutive days of mass protest afflicting major airports in the United States.[513] Multiple legal challenges were filed against the order, and a federal court blocked its implementation.[512] In early March 2017, Trump issued a revised order into law, which excluded Iraq, gave specific exemptions for permanent residents, no priorities for religious minorities (e.g. Christian refugees) and a week was given to implement legislation.
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment