Career
1964 — Graduates from New York Military Academy.
1966 — Leaves Fordham for the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, and begins making his first real estate deals.
1968 — Graduates Penn with a B.S. in Economics.
1970 — Works with father on redevelopment projects in Queens and Brooklyn.
1971 — Takes over as heir of his father’s real estate company, which now becomes The Trump Organization.
1973 — The Trump Organization faces its first lawsuit against the U.S. Justice Department over allegations it violated the Fair Housing Act.
1976 — Buys the Commodore Hotel in Manhattan with the Hyatt Organization and negotiates the deal for the Grand Hyatt.
1977 — Marries Ivana Marie Zelníčková, a model from the Czech Republic. Son Donald Jr. is born later that year.
1981 — Daughter Ivanka is born.
1982 — Celebrates the completion of the Trump Tower in Manhattan.
1984 — Son Eric is born.
1987 — Publishes his first book “The Art of the Deal”.
1989 — Makes it onto Forbes’ list of billionaires for the first time.
1990 — Separates from Ivana in a bitter public divorce that graces tabloid covers in New York for two years.
1991 — Testifies in congress over the state of the economy. Files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy over the failures of Taj Mahal casino Atlantic City.
1993 — Marries Marla Maples two months after daughter Tiffany is born.
1995 — Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, Inc. goes public.
1996 — Buys out the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty pageant and takes the executive producer role.
1997 — Five years removed from three casinos gone bankrupt, he ee-emerges on Forbes’ billionaires list and pens “The Art of the Comeback”.
1999 — Divorces Marla Maples, and opens the first Trump golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Briefly launches a Reform Party presidential bid.
2002 — Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, Inc
2004 — Premieres as host of “The Apprentice”.
2005 — Opens for-profit enterprise Trump University. Marries Melania Knauss, a model from Yugoslavia.
2006 — Son Baron is born.
2009 — Resigns as chairman of Trump Entertainment & Resorts, and later sues to have his name removed from its properties.
2012 — Issues $5 million challenge to President Obama to release his birth certificate.
2015 — Announces bid for the presidency as a Republican nominee. NBC cuts ties soon after.
Key issues
Taxes: He claims he would provide the biggest tax cuts since Ronald Reagan. He plans to reduce the US corporate tax rate to 15%, and simplify the tax code with three brackets of 12, 25, and 33 percent. He promises a 0 percent rate for many Americans. An analysis by the Tax Foundation predicts the federal government would lose about $5.9 trillion in revenue over 10 years under his new plan.
Guns: He is endorsed by the NRA and promises to uphold the Second Amendment with “unwavering support,” although he would expand mental health screenings and reward law-abiding gun owners while prosecuting gang members and other negligent gun owners.
Economy: He plans to create 25 million new jobs over the next 10 years. He often cites jobs being outsourced as a major issue in America, in addition to a snail’s pace growth in GDP and says a new America-First trade policy would fix many issues. He would lift restrictions on energy companies and aims to grow the economy at 3.5 to 4 percent per year.
Immigration: He has promised to build a wall along the southern border in an effort to curb criminal immigration from Mexico. Although he has walked back comments of creating a deportation force for aliens with no visa, he has not totally disbanded the idea. Border patrol agencies would be well-equipped well-funded, and refugees from worn-torn countries housing “radical Islamic terrorists” would be intensely scrutinized and, perhaps, barred from entering the country.
Foreign policy: He has suggested closer ties with Russia and President Vladimir Putin “might not be a bad thing” for the United States, and has stated that allies in Europe and Asia must pay a greater share of defense and military expenses in regions with an allied presence. He also promises to surround himself with “smart” military leaders who will create a plan to defeat ISIS in his first 30 days as president, while ridiculing President Obama and Hillary Clinton for foreign policy that led to its creation. He is reluctant to fully support NATO and has said the alliance should be more equally funded by other nations involved in the pact.
Trade: He often cites “bad deals” that have led to manufacturing jobs going overseas and an influx of foreign goods pouring into the country, most notably NAFTA. He’s against TPP as it is currently written, and says the US will pull out of any trade deals where his demands for the country are not met. He regularly voices opposition to China’s currency manipulation and intellectual property theft, and has singled the country out as a reason American workers are hurting. Trump would impose tariffs on the country if they refuse to renegotiate to his terms.
Climate change: He once said it is a “hoax” designed by the Chinese, although more recently refused he ever said that. Although he has signaled concern over the matter in foreign courts, due to the threat rising sea levels may impose on his own golf courses, publicly he states that there is no global warming crisis and the untapped fossil fuels in America would be “unleashed” under his administration.
Abortion and marriage equality: Calling life a “right” that deserves protection under federal laws, he has said that federal funds should not be used to perform abortions. He is openly pro-life, and opposed to the procedure except in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother, although he believes the states should decide for themselves. Trump has also expressed concern for the rights of the LGBTQ community and has called upon them for his support in their campaign, and defers to the Supreme Court ruling over the issue of gay marriage.