Who is Donald Trump?

Posted 2020-11-06 zhenghanghu

Well, I know this topic is a little bit old. But I am writing this blog to basically show how I see Trump and help those who haven‘t heard of Trump before to form a basic idea about him.

 

Early life and education: 1946-1969  【0 - 23 years old】

Donald Trump was born on June 14, 1946 in New York City. At age 13, he was enrolled in the New York Military Academy, a private boarding school, where a typical school day begin at 6:00 am and end at 10:00 pm. In 1964, Trump got in Fordham University, a fine university, but far from prestigious. After two years, he transfered to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in May 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in economics. Trump didn‘t serve in the military during the Vietnam War because he obtained four student deferments and one medical deferment. In 1969, he received a high number in the draft lottery which gave him a low probability to be called to military service. (The lottery is conducted to to determine the order of call to military service in the Vietnam War for men born from 1944 to 1950.)

Business Career: 1968-2017 【22-71】

In 1968, during his undergraduate studies, Trump began his career at his father‘s real estate development company, Elizabeth Trump & Son, which some owned middle-class rental housing in New York City. In 1971, Trump was promoted to to president of the company and renamed it The Trump Organization. Then in 1978, Trump launched his business in Manhattan by getting a small loan of one million dollars from his father. Throughout his business career, Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy. He explained his six times bankruptcy of his hotel and casino by saying "It is just playing with the bankruptcy laws. He negotiated with the banks and made a fantasitic deal. It‘s just business." However, a 2016 analysis of Trump‘s business career by The Economist and The Washington Post concluded that Trump is a mix of  braggadocio, business failures, and real success.

I want to add one more detail about "Trump University". It was a for-profit education company founded by Trump, not a real university. In 2005, New York State authorities notified the use of the word "University" was misleading and violated state law. And only then the company‘s name was changed to "Trump Entrepreneurial Institute".

Media  Career:

First published book in 1987 was Trump: The Art of the Deal

In 2003, Trump became the executive producer and host the reality show The Apprentice in which contestants competed for a job in one of Trump‘s businesses. The Apprentice was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2004 and 2006. In 2007, Trump received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to television on The Apprentice.

 

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