A gifted self-publicist, Donald Trump is a rich property tycoon who achieved notoriety for his flamboyant style in the 1980s. Despite being declared bankrupt in 1990, Trump has rebuilt his fortune and is currently thought to be worth around $1.6 billion.
The third generation of a business family, the young Trump assisted his father in ventures to build affordable housing. He had a good eye for business and after school Trump went to study finance at Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. When he left his chief resolve was ‘to do’ real estate on a larger scale than his father.
To do this Trump needed connections. Though broke, he moved to Manhattan and charmed his way past the members’ committee of an exclusive club; their only condition being that he did not steal the older members' wives. With these New York contacts came the access to power and money, and Trump made the rich and famous his niche market. He understood their psychology well and, while other developers fought to cut corners and lower prices, Trump raised his. He became one of the most powerful landlords of the 1980s, with ownership of several glass towers at exclusive addresses in New York, two casinos and the Trump Shuttle airline.
With the 1990s came recession, and when Trump was unable to pay a $2 billion bank loan, most of his assets were seized by creditors and his wife divorced him. Remarkably, though ,he fought his way back to riches and wrote a book about it, called 'The Art of the Comeback'.
In 1999 Trump announced he was considering running for President as the Reform Party candidate in 2000. It did not work out though and in his book Trump writes that he would never have made a good head of state , because he is too honest and a germophobe, so hates to shake hands with anybody.
His 2004 reality television series, 'The Apprentice', has once more taken him to the pinnacle of success.
Donald Trump's father, Fred Trump, is a multi-millionarie developer. Fred developed apartments, homes and high rises in New York. Fred Trump died June 25, 1999.
"It's tangible, it's solid, it's beautiful. It's artistic, from my standpoint, and I just love real estate."
Birth name: Donald John Trump
Gender: Male
Spouse:
Melania Knauss (22 January 2005 - present)
Marla Maples (19 December 1993 - 8 June 1999) (divorced) 1 child
Ivana Trump (9 April 1977 - 22 March 1992) (divorced) 3 children
Profession:
Real estate developer, Executive producer, Businessman
Marital status: Married
Height: 6' 2"