Trump, Donald John
Born: June 14, 1946, in New York, New York
Vocations: Autobiographer, Business Writer, Television Personality
Geographic Connection to Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Philadelphia County
Keywords: Atlantic City; The Apprentice; Fordham University; Ivana Trump; Hollywood Walk of Fame, Marla Maples; Miss Teen USA Pageant; Miss Universe Pageant; Miss USA Pageant; New York Military Academy; Plaza Hotel; real estate; Taj Mahal; Trump Towers; University of Pennsylvania; Wharton School of Business
Abstract: Born June 14, 1946, in New York City, New York, Donald J. Trump attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Shortly after graduation, Trump returned to New York City and turned his father’s successful real estate business, Trump Enterprises, into a billion-dollar, world-renowned venture. Trump’s investments include New York City’s Plaza Hotel and Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal Casino. The real estate magnate has penned several books, including The Art of the Deal and How to Get Rich: Big Deals from the Star of The Apprentice. Trump is also executive producer and host of the reality television show The Apprentice.
Biography:
Donald John Trump was born June 14, 1946, in the New York City borough of Queens to Fred and Mary Trump. The family soon moved to a mansion in the Queens suburb Jamaica Bay, where the young Trump spent his childhood. When he became a disciplinary problem in public schools, Fred and Mary sent Trump to the New York Military Academy (NYMA), where he became an ideal cadet. After graduation from the NYMA, Trump enrolled in New York City’s Fordham University, majoring in business administration. Trump only spent two years at the institution—after his sophomore year, he enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, eventually graduating with a degree in real estate. At the Philadelphia school, the future-mogul formed many of the innovative ideas that would make him a legend in real estate after his graduation.
After his education in Philadelphia, Trump returned to New York City to pursue a career in real estate. His father, Fred, was a second-generation successful real estate entrepreneur, so the business was in his blood. However, being successful was not enough for the youngest Trump. He opted to raise the stakes, taking his father’s real estate enterprise to the next level by building magnificent skyscrapers rather than simple residential communities, making the business one of the best-known companies in the world. By twenty-seven, Trump took over his father’s business and began setting his sights higher. Among his real estate ventures were the renovation and ownership of the Plaza Hotel, the Grand Hyatt, and the St. Moritz Hotel, as well as the creation of Trump Towers, Trump Plaza, and his billion-dollar casino in Atlantic City, the Taj Mahal. As Trump’s wealth grew, his popularity in the American media skyrocketed. Trump was able to use the media to help his business and wealth status, appearing on every major magazine and newspaper in the country. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to big deals outside real estate, such as owning the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA Pageant franchises, the Eastern Shuttle fleet of aircrafts, creating a board game, and even running for President of the United States in 2000. A great many of these ventures have failed, however, resulting in a string of high profile bankruptcies.
Donald Trump has experienced as similar run of success and failures in his very public private life as well. On April 9, 1977, Donald Trump married Ivana Winklmayr, a Czechoslovakian model. The couple had three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. After entering into a serious affair with model Marla Maples, Trump divorced Ivana in 1990. Three years later, after having a daughter, Tiffany, Trump married Marla Maples, a marriage that would end in 1997.
Nevertheless, Donald Trump has become an expert at capitalizing on the publicity and media coverage of his personal and financial ups and downs. Thus, when he began appearing on covers of numerous magazines and newspapers, Trump decided he would pen his autobiography, The Art of the Deal, in 1987. The book, co-written with Tony Schwartz, topped the New York Times Bestsellers List for weeks and has sold over three million copies since its release. He followed that success with a second book, a sequel of sorts. Surviving at the Top, published in 1990, again topped the New York Times Bestsellers list. Trump’s third book, The Art of the Comeback, released in 1997, appealed to his business’ reputation of floundering and strongly emerging again. The entrepreneur reflected on his politics in his fourth book, The America We Deserve, published in 2000. In 2004, Trump released three new books: How to Get Rich, The Way to the Top: The Best Business Advice I ever Received, and Think Like a Billionaire: Everything You Need to Know about Success, Real Estate, and Life. The mogul plans to release The Best Golf Advice I Ever Received in 2005.
In addition to his pop culture status and prolific array of business books, Trump is also fairing well in the television world. His reality television show, The Apprentice, is one of the highest rated programs on NBC, no doubt increasing the readership for his books as there are now millions of people who yearn for his wealth and his power. Even the televised beauty pageants fair well in the ratings, despite rumors to the contrary.
Currently, Donald Trump enjoys a newfound success as the executive producer and host of NBC’s reality show The Apprentice, a program that places him in the position to fire 17 contestants before choosing one to hire as an intern in his company. The program has spawned a new craze for the phrase “You’re Fired!” a statement Trump tried unsuccessfully to copyright in early 2004. It has presented the real estate icon to a new audience and made fans out of millions of viewers. Other recent Trump schemes include “Trump University,” an online business institution, a skyscraper hotel in Chicago, and several new real estate developments in New York City. His casino company, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, filed for bankruptcy in 2004. Also in 2004, Trump became engaged to model-girlfriend Melania Knauss. The couple currently splits their time between the mogul’s homes in New York City; Palm Beach, Florida; Palm Springs, California; and elsewhere around the world. The couple was later married and had their first son together in 2006. Trump received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard on January 16, 2007.
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This biography was prepared by Emily Elizabeth Baskin.