Born in Queens, NY, in 1946, Donald J. Drump is an American businessman, television personality, and politician. He is currently a candidate for the Republican nomination of the United States in the upcoming 2016 election-as of March 16th, he has won twenty contests in the Republican presidential primaries.
He is the son of Fred Trump, a real estate developer. Donald Trump worked in his father's firm Elizabeth Trump & Son Trump, during his college years (two years at Fordham University followed by two at the esteemed Wharton business school at the University of Pennsylvania). In 1971, he was given control of his father's company, renamed it "The Trump Organization," and has since then built golf courses, hotels, casinos, and more. He is currently estimated to have a net worth of approximately $4 billion.
Trump's father financed his son's first business deal: he bid on a government-owned housing development in poor condition, and then hired his son to make the acquisition habitable. The venture succeeded, and the sale of the housing development raked in a profit of a million dollars. With this initial success, Donald Trump then began to build his business empire.
Over the years, he has owned Trump Mortgage, Trump Steaks, Trump Vodka, Trump: The Game, Trump Ice, GoTrump.com, Trump Magazine, The New Jersey Generals, Trump Airlines, Trump Tower Tampa, and Trump University. Trump can even make money from his name itself-as a recognizable brand, it can be rented by local businesses who hope that it will draw customers. And although a number of his business ventures have failed, he made millions during his time as the host of NBC's reality TV show The Apprentice-which was so popular that Trump made roughly $3 million per episode.
To the American public, Trump is not merely a prominent, successful businessman. He has been a constant presence for years in pop culture, most notably as the host of The Apprentice; his three marriages have also been covered obsessively over the years by celebrity tabloids. Furthermore, when Trump has put his money into something, his name (in all capital letters) goes with it-along with a chunky, gaudy, gold-and-riches aesthetic that has become instantly recognizable.
In his forays into the political world (particularly the 2016 campaign trail) he has established himself as having no so-called "brain-to-mouth filter"-as in, he does not censor himself when he speaks. To his supporters, this is often cited as evidence of much-needed honestly in a politician; Trump supporters often say that their candidate "tells it like it is." However, large swathes of the American public have been horrified not only by his proposed policies (which are based on military intervention as well as on opposition to free trade and immigration) but also his forthright racism, sexism, and xenophobia. Regardless, he remains the only candidate able to fund his own personal bid for the White House, and remains the favorite to win the Republican party's 2016 presidential nomination.
