Donald Trump features prominently in headlines every single day, and that makes sense since he is the current President of the United States. Though it might seem as if we know all there is to know about him, many of us still have a lot of questions about him. Let’s take a look at the most commonly asked questions in order to assemble a collection of facts about Donald Trump.
1. What is Donald Trump’s middle name?
2. What number president is Trump?
Are you seeking facts about Donald Trump? If so, you may find that any collections of questions, answers or facts about America’s 45th President may have a more controversial tone or even a gossipy nature. This has to do with a few basic facts about Donald Trump and his life before the White House.
Donald John Trump was born in 1946 and became one of the world’s more notorious and controversial businessmen and real estate developers. His rise to fame began back in the 1980s, and yet, before that he had a life that few know much about, and many may even be surprised by a few of the details.
3. Where did Donald Trump go to college?
Born to Fred and Mary Trump in Queens, New York, Donald is from a family of five kids. His father was a real estate developer and builder focused on middle income apartments in the areas of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Trump grew up in a wealthy home, and at the age of 13 was sent to New York Military Academy in the hopes of taming his high levels of energy and generally positive outlook. He excelled there and was both an academic and social success. He was athletic, too and a student leader.
Upon completion of high school, he went to Fordham University and then on to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance, graduating with his degree in economics.
That set of facts surprise many because he is not known for his economic acumen but rather his emphasis on real estate development. Essentially, Trump focused on real estate because he saw that there was a great deal of profit to be made. Over the coming years, he relocated to Manhattan and focused on real estate deals there, even obtaining the Pennsylvania Central Railroad’s yards in the west side of the city, with the hopes of building a convention center there. The plans failed and he instead focused on hotels and commercial properties.
By the 1980s he had his initial successes and had garnered a reputation as a rather controversial developer. Throughout this time, though, he remained as an active player in the family’s Trump Organization. He continued to create successful real estate deals, leasing arrangements, tax and financing plans, and more. The luxury of the properties he created were a part of his prestige and he soon moved into the casino gambling industry – focusing on New Jersey properties.
His successes were many and he was soon building billion dollar properties. However, around 1990 a major slump in real estate occurred and the company’s value went from over a billion to less than $500 million. The Trump Organization took enormous loans and it took only a few years to recover.
The company had a lot of side ventures that included consumer products, golf courses, the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants, and more. Trump also co-authored a few books, including the “Art of the Deal”. He regained some notoriety as the hose of The Apprentice television show, a reality show, that ran for twelve seasons beginning in 2003. In 2017, Forbes estimated that Trump’s net worth is at around $3 billion divided between New York real estate, his branded business, golf club and resort ownership, non-New York real estate and his own personal assets.
He has been married three times. First to Ivana Trump from 1977 to 1990. After their divorce he married Marla Maples and remained married from 1993 to 1999, and lastly to his current wife Melania Knauss, whom he wed in 2005. He has children from each marriage including Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric with his first wife, Tiffany with his second, and Barron with his current wife.
He is unlike any other president in U.S. history as he had no real political experience when he ran for office and his name was more of a well-known brand than an actual personality. His licensed products have included everything from clothing to steaks and he has made scores of appearances in movies and TV, including one film in the Home Alone franchise, Sex and the City and others.
Yet, he seems to continually find himself in the midst of one controversy or another. Even as far back as his early years working for his father in the Trump Organization. For example, in 1973 Trump and his father were cited in a Justice Department lawsuit for Fair Housing Act violations. The outcome was that the Trumps had to provide lists of vacancies to black community organizations.
In 1983 he bought the Jersey Generals football team that collapsed after three seasons. In 1990, he finds himself in more than one billion in personal debt and a year later his Taj Mahal files for bankruptcy. The following year properties are closed for bankruptcy. He resigned from Trump Entertainment Resorts in 2009, days before they announce bankruptcy, and in 2011 he began to attack then President Barack Obama about his validity as a natural American citizen.
In 2015, he announced his candidacy for president and made many controversial comments about people from Mexico at that time, and in that same year his ties with the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants are severed when derogatory comments about immigrants he made go public. And from that point forward the documented comments and controversies are constant and ongoing. At times, Trump says he is being mistreated or presented inaccurately and often he takes a combative stance.
So, how can facts about Donald Trump help to clarify? There are not answers to everything people want to know or ask, but we hope this collection of pointed questions and facts about Donald Trump help.
4. Is Trump a democrat?
5. Is Donald Trump republican?
6. Is Trump a fascist?
Many people forget that it was back in 1999 that Trump told CNN’s Larry King that he was thinking of forming a presidential exploratory committee. At that time, his goal was to seek the Reform Party nomination and challenge then incumbent Pat Buchanan for the ticket.
It’s interesting that he would look at the Reform party when he admitted to being a Republican at the time. He has never been a Democrat.
Yet, Trump did much more than declare his interest in exploring a Reform candidacy In the CNN interview. In fact, what he said indicates that he held no specific view or position in the world of partisan politics. Consider this set of comments from that interview:
TRUMP: I’m giving up a lot if I decide to run. So we’re going to look at it. We’re going to explore it. We’re doing the committee, and we’ll see how it comes out.
KING: And the committee is going to look into all areas, talk to people…
TRUMP: All areas.
KING: … financing?
(Later in the interview)
KING: Now, let’s get into some things. The Reform Party, by its name, means reform. You will be leaving, if you run this — you believe in, what, the Republican Party I believe?
TRUMP: I’m a registered Republican. I’m a pretty conservative guy. I’m somewhat liberal on social issues, especially health care, et cetera, but I’d be leaving another party, and I’ve been close to that party.
KING: Why would you leave the Republican Party?
TRUMP: I think that nobody is really hitting it right. The Democrats are too far left. …The Republicans are too far right…
KING: Pat Buchanan said he agreed with Warren Beatty. I wonder if you do. Warren Beatty said: “We don’t have a three-party system, we have a one-party system. We need a second party.” Do you agree with that?
TRUMP: Well, I don’t think so. I think that…
KING: You don’t think that the Republicans and Democrats are alike?
TRUMP: I don’t think so. I think that their views are different, somewhat different, but they’re maybe almost too divergent…
KING: You’ve been an activist Republican, haven’t you? I mean, you support candidates…
TRUMP: I’ve actually been an activist Democrat and Republican. I support almost equally — I really support people…I just support people…
KING: So it’s the person?
TRUMP: I really go for the people rather than the party.But really, really the big thing they’re going to look in — as — is: Can you win? Can a Reform Party candidate win? Because I believe I could get the Reform Party nomination. I don’t even think it would be that tough…But I really want to see, if you get that nomination, what happens from there? If I couldn’t win, if I felt I couldn’t win, I wouldn’t run. I absolutely would not run. I’m not looking to get more votes than any other independent candidate in history, I’d want to win.”
So, at that time, it would appear he was entirely without any affiliation with a party. He has, in fact, swapped from one party to another over time. He left the Democratic party because, according to Trump himself, he was able to evolve as he became more involved (politically). He was a Republican from 1987 to 1999. He then became a Democrat in 2001 and remained that way for almost four years. He then switched to Republican but claimed to have no party affiliation in 2011 (at which time he said he was thinking of running as an independent), then he announced his return to the Republican party in 2012.
Make of that what you will. Many say he shifts his party affiliations depending upon what best benefits his organization or brand. Others say he just experiences philosophical changes as parties evolve and moves in the direction that suits his preferences.
As to the question of his allegiance to the idea of Fascism, that’s an entirely different issue. As early as 2016, many were wondering if he had Fascist leanings after he refused to speak against White Supremacists and because of his “America First” beliefs.
A report in the Washington Post said that there is a formula that can be used to determine if someone is an authentic Fascist, and it involves asking pointed questions about specific issues or beliefs.
Fascism was born during WWI, in Italy and evolved as time passed. It spread to Germany and was the force behind the rise of the Nazis. However, it is both a political ideology and a political movement, and to determine if someone is a Fascist means looking at 11 specific concepts (8 relating to ideology and 3 relating to it as a political movement).
The features of Fascism to consider when measuring Donald Trump or anyone else include:
- Hyper Nationalism – Do trade policies favor one country? What is the concept of an “ordinary” citizen? Is it only white people?
- Militarism – Fascists always lionize the military and look for military solutions to political issues.
- Violence used in politics – Legions of thugs used to harm or even kill those whose views clash with their own or that of the party
- Fetishization of youth – An emphasis is placed on the youth and many appeals are made to young people
- Fetishization of masculinity – Is male authority emphasized in home and society? Are women confined to domesticity? Would a powerful and intelligent female be mocked or viewed as a threat?
- Leader cult – This places emphasis on a single, manly leader viewed as uncompromising and willing to use cruelty if needed.
- Emphasis on national rebirth – “Make America Great Again” is an example of this concept of a lost, Golden Age.
- Self-define as a barricade against evils to the nation – A negative outlook on immigrants, minorities and other political opinions are used to position a Fascist perspective as protection.
- Mobilization and new party creation – New political parties are often a way for Fascists to rise to power
- Violent purge of disloyal within the party structure – Fascists eliminated (through murder or simply purging the party) anyone who did not have rampant loyalty
- Theater – The use of rhetoric, theatrics and even exaggeration are used, i.e. nicknames, and terms like “the worst” or “the best”, as well as repetitive chants and dramatic facial expressions
If you use these ideas to determine whether or not Trump (or anyone else) is a Fascist you can create a rather accurate portrait. According to those who designed the test, there is a “strong family resemblance,” but he doesn’t align with the willingness to advocate and use violence. He has been called a Fascist by many because of the seeming atmosphere of menace at his rallies, his free use of calls for assassinations, his acceptance of protestors being subjected to violence, but these fall well short of the originators of the Fascist philosophy.
While he scores high in many areas, Mr. Trump may be, as the test’s authors say, “semi-fascist: more fascist than any successful American politician yet… but — thank our stars — an amateurish imitation of the real thing.”
He has struggled immensely with this reputation, and many of his actions that have Fascist leanings have caused a rift between him and many members of his own party. In fact, if you consider that he has rarely even referred to himself as a Republican since the GOP convention of July 2016, it is becoming more and more difficult to label him as any party or particular political philosophy.
The good news is that we have a lot of information from Trump himself to try and seek clarification. This leads us to the next set of facts about Donald Trump, and common questions relating to him.
7. What did Trump tweet today?
8. What did Trump do today?
9. What did Trump say today?
10. What is Trump’s approval rating?
Though Barack Obama was the first President to be in office when the age of social media really took off, it is Donald Trump who is the first in the office to really dig in and use it for himself. He is a regular “Tweeter” and interview subject on morning news shows. Though he does not hold a lot of press conferences, which has become a tremendous problem with a majority of journalists who had grown used to the Obama Administration’s daily updates, he does say a lot to the public every day.
If you are eager to know what Trump tweets any given day, simply become one of his followers on the Twitter app. This will let you see everything he has to say on current events and other issues. Don’t expect a lot of news from individuals like Sarah Huckabee Sanders (his Press Secretary) since she rarely hosts news events any longer, and her December 18 update (the first in almost a month) lasted only 15 minutes and left a lot of reporters with questions.
And if you want facts about Donald Trump and what he does on any given day, you can take a lot of different steps to keep up to date with the President. You can sign up to any news website’s feed, you can create Google alerts that let you know whenever his name appears in a story (though this will flood your phone or computer as he is written about and active every day).
As a simple example of how to track his activities, you can use sites like CNN’s “Donald Trump News”, the What Trump Did Today site that is a nonpartisan site simply reporting on all of the President’s daily activities, the Donald Trump page at the Politico website, or the pro-Trump updates from the Fox News Insider, among scores of others. Remember that you can also create alerts that have targeted information.
For example, you can ask for updates about topics like the border wall and/or immigration, healthcare, military spending, environmental issues, Russia investigation, Syria, stock market, and so on.
Lastly, to answer the question of “What did Donald Trump say today?” you can just use both of the methods above – the online news feeds and Trump’s own Tweets via the Twitter app.
Those interested in facts about Donald Trump will have to be very careful about balanced information and unbiased statements. He has become a polarizing figure in the United States, and other parts of the world. There are many stories of online feuds and real-world arguments relating to Trump and his policies.
If you are looking for actual facts about Donald Trump, you can use neutral sources like this article, but you must also be sure to do your research and go with reports or articles that give you basic reporting on facts. You will read a lot of emotionally driven text and some misinformation, which is the very nature of the Internet, but if you want an accurate portrait, take the time and find out what you can.
For example, in our answer about whether or not Mr. Trump is a Fascist, we used a modern tool for assessing any political ideology and movement or political figure for their level of Fascism or Fascism-like behaviors. You might also use the advice of one news outlet that did a report about Trump and Fascism, titling it “Learning about how fascism works can help prevent its spread in America”. Rather than pointing a finger or labeling someone, the article suggested readers first be clear about that concept and then make their judgement. We recommend that, too.
The reason for this explanation is because we want to supply another of the basic facts about Donald Trump, and that is approval rating. Ask ten people what his current rating might be and you’ll probably get ten different answers. This is because the Trump presidency has, quite literally, been full of the proverbial ups and downs.
As an example, at this writing, one source indicates that a poll from Morning Consult showed that Trump’s approval rating was as low as it had been when he refused to condemn neo-Nazis after the fatal rally in Virginia in 2017. At that time, a woman was killed when a white nationalist plowed his car into a group of protestors crowding a street.
According to the late December 2018 poll, the President’s approval rating was at 39% and disapproval stood at 56%. In light of a government shutdown, stock market issues, a sudden withdrawal from Syria and problems with the border wall, his support had weakened.
However, the famous Gallup organization known for conducting its own authoritative polls indicates that his ratings have never exceeded 45% since entering office and that he had hit as low as 35% in the past.
As most modern Americans know, all of the ups and downs and sense of ongoing confusion or turmoil that has seemed to define the Trump presidency has led many to wonder if he will be able to finish his term in office. In fact, with the Russian investigation and questions of cooperation with foreign agencies lingers, more and more are wondering if Congress is about to take actions against Trump.
11. How many signatures are needed to impeach Trump?
In January of 2018 an online petition had garnered more than four million signatures from the general voting public demanding that lawmakers impeach the 45th President of the United States. At that time, the motivation for such steps were related to his firing of FBI Director James Comey and his ongoing complaints and threats against journalists and media organizations.
The House of Representatives at the time voted against a resolution to impeach in December of 2017, and almost all present (including every Republican present and roughly 2/3 of the Democrats) opted to “shelve” the issue.
The thing to remember about this issue is that impeachment doesn’t happen because the voting public signs a petition, and the process in Congress is very complex. It is very difficult to impeach and/or remove a president from office. In fact, it is so challenging that only two have been impeached but acquitted. Another resigned (Nixon) to avoid impeachment.
Impeachment occurs entirely within the House and then the Senate – partisan entities. This makes it a political rather than judicial matter. Though the balance of power has tipped back to the center with Democrats holding the House and Republicans the Senate, efforts to impeach Trump may still gain zero traction because of the amount of evidence and the gravity of the crime needed for this action would have to be immense. As one expert said, Democrats “still need to come up with a case strong enough to convince two-thirds of the Senate to actually convict him. Unless a party has enormous partisan majorities, a partisan impeachment effort is doomed to fail.”
We are still in the midst of an investigation that many describe as featuring “impeachable offenses,” but until the public is supplied with all of the facts, it will remain unclear as to what steps Congress should take.
12. Can Trump fire Mueller?
This situation has caused many to ask that question above. After all, it is the ongoing (two years plus) investigation being conducted by Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel assigned by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, that could lead to impeachable offenses being discovered. And it is one of the facts about Donald Trump that is awaiting clarification.
The situation, in summary is thus: Trump fired then FBI Director Comey and almost immediately after that Rosenstein hired former FBI director Mueller to investigate any possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Comey had been planning this investigation himself at the time of his firing.
Since that time, Trump has described the investigation as a witch hunt, but many of his associates including his personal lawyer, campaign manager, several lobbyists, some business partners and campaign advisers have since been arrested, indicted and/or sent to prison.
This makes it very confusing and challenging to Congress and the American public eager to understand what has really happened.
It has also made many wonder if Trump will (or can) just fire Mueller and bring the investigation to a close. The short answer to that is no, he cannot directly fire Robert Mueller. It is only the Deputy Attorney General who hired him (Rosenstein) that can fire him. Should Trump fire Rosenstein or order the special counsel regulations repealed, he could then fire Mueller.
Should he do so it would look very badly for him, and many feel this is why he has not taken steps to do so.
Obviously, there is a great deal at stake in the investigation and many Americans are weary of the years long process. This is particularly true as many politicians are beginning to gear up for the 2020 Presidential Elections that are just around the corner. After all, it is not at all normal for a President of the United States to be under investigation for collusion with a foreign government (which is accused of helping him to win the previous election) to be beginning to plan for another campaign. Yet, that is where we are at the moment.
If there are any facts about Donald Trump that stand out the most, it would have to be this wildly unusual set of facts about the current issues surrounding his presidency.
And what about the less serious information and facts about Donald Trump? Because he was a reality TV star, there is a never-ending amount of interest and gossip around his private life. This is particularly true with his multiple marriages and stories of affairs and payoffs meant to keep mistresses quiet. Because of this, a great deal of attention is focused on his current wife, Melania.
13. How old is Donald Trump’s wife?
14. What country is Melania Trump from?
15. What languages does Melania Trump speak?
16. What is Melania Trump’s IQ?
17. Does Barron Trump have a disability?
Melania Trump was born in 1970 as MelanijaKnavs, which was altered to Melania Knauss. She was born in Slovenia, which was then still part of Communist Yugoslavia. She has only a single, younger sister, and they grew up in modest surroundings. Her mother designed children’s clothing while her father was a car dealer.
At the young age of 16, Melania began modeling and was picked up by an agency in Milan. She did not initially work at her modeling career, opting instead to enroll at the University of Ljuljana. However, after her first year she dropped out to see if modeling could pan out as a career.
She worked in both Milan and Paris, but soon moved to New York where she was a favorite of famous photographers that included Helmut Newton. She appeared on many magazine covers and was also a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model.
She met Donald Trump in 1998, but initially refused his advances. It was not until six years later that the two began to officially date and became engaged in 2004, marrying in 2005. The wedding was a major social event and even former President Clinton with his Senator wife Hillary attended.
And if you were surprised by those initial facts about Donald Trump and his success in military school as well as college, it may also surprise you to know that Melania Trump is not just a pretty face. She is fluent in six languages (Slovenian, English, Italian, French, Serbian and German) and a very successful business person on her own. She has a successful jewelry line, a skin care line and is outspoken when in disagreement with her husband’s policies.
Though she has never submitted any results for an IQ test for public scrutiny, it is clear she is operating at a level of intelligence that is far above average. Polyglots (people who speak numerous languages fluently) are not necessarily of a high IQ than anyone else, but most argue that the ability to think, problem solve and evaluate that speaking multiple languages demands is reflective of higher IQ. In other words, with her practical business acumen, her ability to switch between six different languages effortlessly, and her obvious comprehension of complex political concepts along with her formulation of her own theories and ability to fluently convey her opinions show she is highly intelligent.
She has also made many trips abroad as First Lady and created anti-bullying campaigns and a “Be Best” campaign that focuses on combatting opioid abuse. She did stir some controversy when she sponsored her parents for citizenship in August of 2018. This path to immigration and citizenship is one of the categories of family visas that Trump’s Administration has been trying to bring to an end. She also caused a bit of a flurry when she made an official statement that called for the firing of the deputy national security adviser in November of 2018. The statement from her office indicated that Mira Ricardel no longer deserved the honor of serving the White House.
And last among our facts about Donald Trump is the answer to an unusually common question about his son Barron, which is whether the 12 year-old is disabled in some way. This rumor has come about for several reasons.
The first is that he seems much older than he is for his age, standing extremely tall for the average 12 year-old boy. He turned 12 in early 2018 and is almost the same height as is 6’ 3” father. This makes many curious if the boy displays an ungainly gait when walking or playing sports or displays any child-like behaviors believing he should not act so when he is so “big”. Yet, it is height, not age, and this is an unfortunate misunderstanding because many use the boy’s unusual size as a gauge on Barron’s behaviors.
Another reason for questions about his potential disability is also because he is kept out of the spotlight to the greatest extent possible, and this is on his mother’s bidding. Melania Trump has been rumored to have been disappointed about Donald Trump running for President and winning the election (though this has yet to be officially confirmed).
She did not immediately move to the White House in order to allow Barron to finish his schooling in New York, prompting further speculation about Barron. She has also shared very few details about their private, family life in the White House, opting instead to provide the young boy with some vestiges of normalcy. He is also not allowed on social media, which makes a good deal of sense.
Of course, he is underage for most social media platforms. Secondly, it would expose him to the sort of bullying that his mother has been so outspoken against.
Another reason for questions about possible disability is because he has appeared in a few public events, like the annual Easter Egg Roll, where comments were made about his lack of smiling and enjoyment. However, it is important to remember that he is a 12 year old boy, and they are not commonly known for enjoying games with “kids”.
He is fluent in both his mother’s native Slovenian as well as his father’s English, clearly showing he may have inherited his mother’s ability with languages and her higher than average IQ.
Beyond the Basic Facts About Donald Trump
A larger than life character, Donald Trump is the topic of many conversations, debates and even controversies. He has his own way of doing things and is noted for refusing to cooperate or bend on a lot of issues. There is a great deal more to know about him than the most common questions seem to ask. For example, what does he think about fatherhood and having children in such a wide range of ages? What does he think about being a president? What are his long term goals for his presidency or his legacy? What steered him into economics as a youth?
It is easy to focus on the current controversies surrounding him, and so it might be interesting to revisit the issue of the basic facts about Donald Trump in years to come. There is sure to be a great deal more to the story of the Trump presidency, and in this article, we have only barely touched on so many of the issues surrounding him. One thing is certain: He has reshaped American politics in a way that few other politicians of the past few decades have, and those changes are still happening in real time, today.
Sources
http://edition.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/10/08/trump.transcript/
https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-impeachment-petition-millions-first-year-783674
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/5/12/15615066/impeachment-trump-process-history