Donald Trump
Overview
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American businessman, television personality, and politician who served as the 45th president of the United States (2017–2021). A real estate mogul with no prior political experience, he ran in the 2016 presidential election as the Republican Party nominee and won, championing 'America First' policies such as protectionism, anti-immigration, tax cuts, and deregulation. His tenure was marked by major political events, including two impeachments, controversy over the COVID-19 pandemic response, the 2020 election dispute, and the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. He ran again in the 2024 presidential election as the Republican nominee and won, achieving a non-consecutive re-election and leaving a unique mark on U.S. political history.
Main Content
Early Life and Business Career
Trump was born in Queens, New York, to Fred Trump, a real estate developer. After earning a bachelor's degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he joined his father's company, the Trump Organization. In the 1970s and 1980s, he gained fame for large-scale real estate developments such as Trump Tower in Manhattan and Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City. In the 1990s, his businesses faced multiple bankruptcies, but in the 2000s, he achieved national fame as the host of the reality TV show 'The Apprentice.' His business style is characterized by aggressive marketing, brand licensing, and frequently changing business partnerships.
Entry into Politics and the 2016 Election
In June 2015, Trump descended an escalator to announce his presidential candidacy with the slogan 'Make America Great Again.' In the Republican primaries, he rallied supporters with rhetoric that stoked anti-immigration, anti-free trade, and anti-establishment sentiments, defeating 16 rivals to secure the nomination. In the general election, he defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton by 304 to 227 electoral votes, though he lost the popular vote by approximately 2.9 million votes. His victory was largely driven by overwhelming support from white working-class voters and rural voters in the Midwest Rust Belt.
Presidency (2017–2021)
Key policies of the Trump administration include:
- Economy: Passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. Deregulation revived the oil, gas, and coal industries, and the stock market rose significantly early in his term. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp economic contraction in 2020.
- Trade: Initiated a trade war with China, imposing tariffs worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). Withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
- Immigration: Implemented hardline anti-immigration measures, including building a border wall, a travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, attempts to end the DACA program protecting Dreamers (undocumented immigrant youth), and a family separation policy.
- Foreign Policy: Held three summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but failed to reach a denuclearization agreement. Withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) and ordered the assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani. Pressured NATO members to increase defense spending. Recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the U.S. embassy there.
- Judiciary: Appointed three conservative Supreme Court justices—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—shifting the ideological balance of the Court to the right.
Impeachments and Legal Issues
Trump was impeached twice during his presidency. The first (2019) was for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden (the Ukraine scandal); the House impeached him, but the Senate acquitted him. The second (2021) was for inciting the January 6 Capitol riot; the House impeached him, but the Senate acquitted him (57 guilty, 43 not guilty, falling short of the required two-thirds majority). After leaving office, he lost a civil fraud lawsuit in New York state in 2023, and in 2024, he was convicted on 34 felony counts in a New York criminal case related to hush-money payments for a sexual scandal. This marked the first criminal conviction of a former U.S. president.
2024 Election and Re-election
In the 2024 presidential election, Trump ran as the Republican nominee and defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. His campaign focused on economic anxiety, immigration issues, and framing his legal prosecutions as political persecution. After re-election, he has proposed policies including higher tariffs, mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, and reform of the federal bureaucracy (so-called 'deep state' dismantling).
Latest Developments
As of 2025, Trump is serving his second term as the 47th president. His second administration is pursuing policies with a more consolidated power base than his first term. Key trends include: (1) strengthening protectionism, including tariffs of over 60% on China, (2) expanding the border wall and launching the largest deportation operation in history, (3) personnel changes raising concerns about weakening the political neutrality of federal agencies, (4) friction with NATO allies due to a neutral stance on the Ukraine war, and (5) pressure for pardons or dismissal of his own criminal cases. Polls show his approval rating at 45–48%, reflecting continued sharp ideological divisions. While Democrats and progressives express concern over his authoritarian tendencies and threats to democratic institutions, his supporters positively assess economic recovery and strong border control.
Related Topics
- [[President of the United States]]
- [[Republican Party (United States)]]
- [[January 6 United States Capitol attack]]
- [[Trumpism]]
- [[China–United States trade war]]
---
AI-generated document · Community contributions welcome