Here’s a look at the life of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States.
Personal:
Birth date: June 14, 1946
Birth place: New York, New York
Birth name: Donald John Trump
Father: Fred Trump, real estate developer
Mother: Mary (Macleod) Trump
Marriages: Melania (Knauss) Trump (January 22, 2005-present); Marla (Maples) Trump (December 1993-June 1999, divorced); Ivana (Zelnicek) Trump (1977-1990, divorced)
Children: with Melania Trump: Barron, March 20, 2006; with Marla Maples: Tiffany, October 13, 1993; with Ivana Trump: Eric, 1984; Ivanka, October 30, 1981; Donald Jr., December 31, 1977
Education: Attended Fordham University; University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Finance, B.S. in Economics, 1968
Other Facts:
As Trump evolved from real estate developer to reality television star, he turned his name into a brand. Licensed Trump products have included board games, steaks, cologne, vodka, furniture and menswear.
He has portrayed himself in cameo appearances in movies and on television, including “Zoolander,” “Sex and the City” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”
Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” was first used by Ronald Reagan while he was running against President Jimmy Carter.
For details on investigations into alleged Russian meddlingin the 2016 election, visit 2016 Presidential Election Investigation Fast Facts.
For updates on Trump administration departures and firings, visitWho has left Trump’s administration and orbit.
Timeline:
1970s – After college, works with his father on apartment complexes in Queens and Brooklyn, New York.
1973 – Trump and his father are named in a Justice Department lawsuit alleging Trump property managers violated the Fair Housing Act by turning away potential African-American tenants. The Trumps deny the company discriminates and file a $100 million countersuit, which is later dismissed. The case is settled in 1975, and the Trumps agree to provide weekly lists of vacancies to black community organizations.
1976 – Trump and his father partner with the Hyatt Corporation, purchasing the Commodore Hotel, an aging midtown Manhattan property. The building is revamped and opens four years later as the Grand Hyatt Hotel.The project kickstarts Trump’s career as a Manhattan developer.
1983-1990 – He builds/purchases multiple properties in New York City, including Trump Tower and the Plaza Hotel, and also opens casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, including the Trump Taj Mahal and the Trump Plaza. Trump buys the New Jersey Generals football team, part of the United States Football League, which folds after three seasons.
1985 – Purchases Mar-a-Lago, an oceanfront estate in Palm Beach, Florida. It is renovated and opens as a private club in 1995.
1987 – Trump’s first book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal,” is published and becomes a bestseller. The Donald J. Trump Foundation is established in order to donate a portion of profits from book sales to charities.
1990 – Nearly $1 billion in personal debt, Trump reaches an agreement with bankers allowing him to avoid declaring personal bankruptcy.
1991 – The Trump Taj Mahal files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
1992 – The Trump Plaza and the Trump Castle casinos file for bankruptcy.
1996 – Buys out and becomes executive producer of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants.
October 7, 1999 – Tells CNN’s Larry King that he is going to form a presidential exploratory committee and wants to challenge Pat Buchanan for the Reform Party nomination.
February 14, 2000 – Says that he is abandoning his bid for the presidency, blaming discord within the Reform Party.
January 2004 – “The Apprentice,” a reality show featuring aspiring entrepreneurs competing for Trump’s approval, premieres on NBC.
November 21, 2004 – Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc. files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
2005 – Establishes Trump University, which offers seminars in real estate investment.
February 13, 2009 – Announces his resignation from his position as chairman of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Days later, the company files for bankruptcy protection.
March 17, 2011 – During an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Trump questions whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States.
June 16, 2015 – Announces that he is running for president during a speech at Trump Tower. He pledges to implement policies that will boost the economy and says he will get tough on immigration. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…They’re sending people who have lots of problems,” Trump says. “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.”
June 28, 2015 – Says he’sgiving up the TV show “The Apprentice” to run for president.
June 29, 2015 – NBCUniversal says it is cutting its business ties to Trump and won’t air the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants because of “derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants.”
July 8, 2015 – In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Trump says he “can’t guarantee” all of his employees have legal status in the United States. This is in response to questions about a Washington Post report about undocumented immigrants working at the Old Post Office construction site in Washington, which Trump is converting into a hotel.
July 22, 2015 – Trump’s financial disclosurereport is made public by the Federal Election Commission.
August 6, 2015 – During the first 2016 Republican debate, Trump is questioned about a third party candidacy, his attitude towards women and his history of donating money to Democratic politicians. He tells moderator Megyn Kelly of Fox News he feels he is being mistreated.
August 7, 2015 – The controversy continues, as Trump tells CNN’s Don Lemon that Kelly was singling him out for attack, “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”
September 11, 2015 – Trump announces he has purchased NBC’s half of the Miss Universe Organization, which organizes the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
December 7, 2015 – Trump’s campaign puts out a press release calling for a “complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”
May 26, 2016 – Secures enough delegates to clinch the Republican Party nomination.
July 16, 2016 – IntroducesIndiana Governor Mike Penceas his running mate.
July 19, 2016 – Becomes the Republican Party nominee for president.
September 13, 2016 – During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says his office isinvestigating Trump’s charitable foundation “to make sure it’s complying with the laws governing charities in New York.”
October 1, 2016 – The New York Times reports Trump declared a $916 million loss in 1995 which could have allowed him to legally skip paying federal income taxes for years. The report is based on a financial document mailed to the newspaper by an anonymous source.
October 7, 2016 – Unaired footage from 2005 surfaces of Trump talking about trying to have sex with a married woman and being able to grope women. In footage obtained by The Washington Post, Trump is heard off-camera discussing women in vulgar terms during the taping of a segment for “Access Hollywood.” In a taped response, Trump declares, “I said it, I was wrong and I apologize.”
October 9, 2016 – During the second presidential debate, CNN’s Cooper asks Trump about his descriptions of groping and kissing women without their consent in the “Access Hollywood” footage. Trump denies that he has ever engaged in such behavior and declares the comments were “locker room talk.” After the debate, 11 women step forward to claim that they were sexually harassed or sexually assaulted by the real estate developer. Trump says the stories aren’t true.
November 8, 2016 – Is elected president of the United States. Trump will be the first president who has never held elected office, a top government post or a military rank.
November 18, 2016 – Trump agrees to pay $25 million to settle three lawsuits against Trump University. The deal keeps the President-elect from having to testify in a trial in San Diego that was set to begin November 28. The settlement ends a suit brought by Schneiderman, as well as two class action suits in California. About 6,000 former students are covered by the settlement.
December 24, 2016 – Trump says he will dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation “to avoid even the appearance of any conflict with my role as President.” A spokeswoman for the New York Attorney General’s Office says that the foundation cannot legally close until investigators conclude their probe of the charity.
January 10, 2017 – CNN reports that intelligence officials briefed Trump on a dossier that contains allegations about his campaign’s ties to Russia and unverified claims about his personal life. The author of the dossier is a former British spy who was hired by a research firm that had been funded by both political parties to conduct opposition research on Trump.
January 20, 2017 – Takes the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts during an inauguration ceremony at the Capitol anddelivers an inaugural address centering on the populist themes that fueled his candidacy.
January 23, 2017 – Trump signs an executive action withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal negotiated by the Obama administration and awaiting congressional approval.
January 27, 2017 – Trump signs an executive order halting all refugee arrivals for 120 days and banning travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days.Additionally, refugees from Syria are barred indefinitely from entering the United States. The order is challenged in court.
February 13, 2017 – Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigns amid accusations he lied about his communications with Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. Flynn later pleads guilty to lying to the FBI.
February 28, 2017 – Nominates Neil Gorsuch to replace late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
March 4, 2017 – Alleges on Twitter, without offering evidence, that Obama wiretapped his phones ahead of the 2016 election. “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!”
March 16, 2017 – The Trump administration releases its budget blueprint, with increases in funding for the military and cuts for agencies including the State Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture.
May 3, 2017 – FBI Director James Comey confirms that there is an ongoing investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia during a hearing on Capitol Hill. Less than a week later, Trump fires Comey, citing a DOJ memo critical of the way he handled the investigation into Clinton’s emails.
May 2017 – Shortly after Trump fired Comey, the FBI opens an investigation into whether Trump “had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests,” citing former law enforcement officials and others the paper said were familiar with the probe.
May 17, 2017 – Former FBI Director Robert Mueller is appointed as special counsel to lead the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, including potential collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russian officials.Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein makes the appointment because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself in March from investigations into Trump’s campaign.
May 19, 2017 – Departs on his first foreign trip as president.The nine-day, five-country trip includes stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Vatican, a NATO summit in Brussels and a G7 summit in Sicily.
June 1, 2017 – Trump proclaims that the United States is withdrawing from the Paris climate accord but adds that he is open to renegotiating aspects of the environmental agreement, which was signed by 175 countries in 2016.
July 7, 2017 – MeetsRussian President Vladimir Putin in person for the first time, on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany.
August 8, 2017 – In response to nuclear threats from North Korea, Trump warns that Pyongyang will “face fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Soon after Trump’s comments, North Korea issues a statement saying it is “examining the operational plan” to strike areas around the US territory of Guam.
August 15, 2017 – After a violent clash between neo-Nazi activists and counterprotesters leaves one dead in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump holds an impromptu press conference in the lobby of Trump Tower and declares that there were “fine people” on both sides.
August 25, 2017 – Trump’s first pardon is granted to former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio,who was convicted of criminal contempt for disregarding a court order in a racial-profiling case. Trump did not consult with lawyers at the Justice Department before announcing his decision.
September 5, 2017 – The Trump administration announces that it is ending the DACA program, introduced by Obama to protect nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. Trump calls on Congress to introduce legislation that will prevent DACA recipients from being deported. Multiple lawsuits are filed opposing the policy in federal courts and judges delay the end of the program, asking the government to submit filings justifying the cancellation of DACA.
September 19, 2017 – In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump refers to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man” and warns that the United States will “totally destroy North Korea” if forced to defend itself or its allies.
September 24, 2017 – The Trump administration unveils a third version of the travel ban, placing restrictions on travel by certain foreigners from Chad, Iran,Libya, North Korea, Somalia,Syria, Venezuelaand Yemen. (Chad is later removed after meeting security requirements.) One day before the revised ban is set to take effect, it is blocked nationwide by a federal judge in Hawaii. A judge in Maryland issues a similar ruling.
December 4, 2017 – The Supreme Court rules that the revised travel ban can take effect pending appeals.
December 6, 2017 – Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capitaland announces plans to relocate the US Embassy there.
January 11, 2018 – During a White House meeting on immigration reform, Trump reportedly refers to Haitiand African nations as “shithole countries.” He reportedly says that the United States should get more people from countries like Norway.
January 12, 2018 – The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump had an alleged affair with a porn star named Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels. The newspaper states that Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, arranged a $130,000 payment for a nondisclosure agreement weeks before Election Day in 2016. Cohen denies that Trump had a relationship with Clifford.
March 13, 2018 – Trump announces in a tweet that he has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillersonand will nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo as Tillerson’s replacement.
March 20, 2018 – A New York Supreme Court judge rules that a defamation lawsuit against Trump can move forward,ruling against a July 2017 motion to dismiss filed by Trump’s lawyers. The lawsuit, filed by Summer Zervos, a former “Apprentice” contestant, is related to sexual assault allegations.
April 9, 2018 – The FBI raids Cohen’s office, home and a hotel room where he’d been staying while his house was renovated.The raid is related to a federal investigation of possible fraud and campaign finance violations.
April 13, 2018 – Trump authorizes joint military strikes in Syria with the UK and France after reports the government used chemical weapons on civilians in Douma.
May 7, 2018 – The Trump administration announces a “zero tolerance” policy for illegal border crossings.Sessions says that individuals who violate immigration law will be criminally prosecuted and warns that parents could be separated from children.
May 8, 2018 – Trump announces that the United States is withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. “This was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made,” he says in remarks that, at times, misrepresent the international agreement’s provisions.
June 8-9, 2018 – Before leaving for the G7 summit in Quebec City,Trump tells reporters that Russia should be reinstated in the group. The annexation of Crimeain 2014 led to Russia’s suspension. After leaving the summit,Trump tweets that he will not endorse the traditional G7 communique issued at the end of the meeting. The President singles out Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for making “false statements” at a news conference.
June 12, 2018 – Trump meets Kim in person for the first time during a summit in Singapore.They sign a four-point statement that broadly outlines the countries’ commitment to a peace process. The statement contains a pledge by North Korea to “work towards” complete denuclearization but the agreement does not detail how the international community will verify that Kim is ending his nuclear program.
June 26, 2018 – The Supreme Court upholds the Trump administration’s travel ban in a 5-4 ruling along party lines.
July 16, 2018 – During a joint news conference with Putin in Helsinki, Trump declines to endorse the US government’s assessment that Russia interfered in the election, saying he doesn’t “see any reason why” Russia would be responsible. The next day, Trump clarifies his remark, “The sentence should have been, ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.” He says he accepts the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia meddled in the election but adds, “It could be other people also.”
August 21, 2018 – Cohen pleads guilty to eight federal charges, including two campaign finance violations. In court, he says that he orchestrated payments to silence women “in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office.” On the same day, Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort is convicted on eight counts of federal financial crimes.On December 12 Cohen is sentenced to three years in prison.
September 5, 2018 – The New York Times publishes an op-ed by an anonymous Trump administration official who claims that there is an ongoing effort to thwart the president’s worst impulses. Trump says the person who wrote the piece is “gutless.”
September 11, 2018 – Bob Woodward’s book “Fear: Trump in the White House” is published.Several administration officials say that they are misquoted in the book.
November 20, 2018 – Releases a statement backing Saudi Arabia in the wake of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Virginia resident, killed in October at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. Khashoggi was a frequent critic of the Saudi regime. The Saudis initially denied any knowledge of his death, but then later said a group of rogue operators were responsible for his killing. US officials have speculated that such a mission, including the 15 men sent from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to murder him, could not have been carried out without the authorization of Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
December 18, 2018 – The Donald J. Trump Foundation agrees to dissolve according to a document filed in Manhattan Supreme Court. The agreement allows the New York attorney general’s office to review the recipients of the charity’s assets.
December 19, 2018 – Trump declares that the US has defeated ISIS and orders a “full” and “rapid” withdrawal of US military from Syria.
December 22, 2018 – The longest partial government shutdown in US history begins after Trump demands lawmakers allocate $5.7 billion in funding for a border wall before agreeing to sign a federal funding package.
January 16, 2019 – After nearly two years of Trump administration officials denying that anyone involved in his campaign colluded with the Russians to help his candidacy, Trump lawyer and former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, says“I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or people in the campaign. I said the President of the United States. There is not a single bit of evidence the President of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspiring with the Russians to hack the DNC.”
January 25, 2019 – The government shutdown ends when Trump signs a short-term spending measure, providing three weeks of stopgap funding while lawmakers work on a border security compromise. The bill does not include any wall funding.
February 15, 2019 – Trump declares a national emergency to allocate funds to build a wall on the border with Mexico. During the announcement, the president says he expects the declaration to be challenged in court. The same day, Trump signs a border security measure negotiated by Congress, with $1.375 billion set aside for barriers, averting another government shutdown.
February 18, 2019 – Attorneys general from 16 states file a lawsuit in federal court challenging Trump’s emergency declaration.
February 28, 2019 – Trump’s summit with Kim ends with no joint agreement after Kim insists all US sanctions on North Korea be lifted. On the same day, Trump’s former attorney Cohen testifies before the House Oversight Committeepresenting an extensive set of Trump’s possible criminal liabilities.
