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Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American business executive. He was born in New York City.

Biography

Donald Trump attended the Wharton Business School, after which he joined the family real estate business. As a talented dealmaker, he was able to secure loans with little collateral in the 1980s and created an empire in real estate, casinos, sports, and transportation.

By 1990, however, the effects of recession left him unable to meet loan payments. Although he shored up his businesses with additional loans and postponed interest payments, increasing debt brought Trump to business bankruptcy and the brink of personal bankruptcy. Banks and bondholders had lost hundreds of millions of dollars, but opted to restructure his debt to avoid risking losing even more in a court fight.

By 1994, Trump had eliminated a large portion of his $900 million personal debt and reduced significantly his nearly $3.5 billion in business debt. While he was forced to relinquish the Trump Shuttle (which he had bought in 1989), he managed to retain Trump Tower in New York City and control of his three casinos in Atlantic City. He opened a new hotel and office building in New York City in 1996. In 1999, Trump indicated an interest in running for president on the Reform party ticket in 2000.

Politics

In 1999, Trump indicated an interest in running for president on the Reform party ticket in 2000, although he was previously a Republican. He withdrew after the party disintegrated into factionalism.

Trump's political views are largely centrist. He is pro-choice regarding abortion and supports gay rights, Social Security privatization, and tax cuts such as those implemented by President Bush. In 2004, Trump expressed opposition to the Iraq War but claims to have still voted for Bush due to his tax cut policy. Trump has contributed to both Republicans and Democrats, interestingly having donated slightly more money to Democratic candidates. In the first 6 months of 2005 he gave almost $20,000 to political campaigns, all but $2000 to Democrats. Senators he has recently supported include Hilary Clinton and Chuck Schumer of New York, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and John McCain of Arizona. He also refused to favor one candidate over the other in the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election giving $2,000 to both John Kerry and George W. Bush.

Trump has recently attacked the official "Freedom Tower" plan for rebuilding the World Trade Center, claiming the plan to be "a pile of crap", and claims that most New Yorkers want the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center rebuilt, with a symbolic 111 stories, one story taller than the original predecessors (the "Twin Towers II" plan). He claims they would be taller, better, stronger, cheaper and safer than the proposed "Freedom Tower"; however, there is skepticism that the Twin Towers II proposal will actually replace the Freedom Tower plan and be built. In a recent CNN poll over 63% of voters wanted to see Trump's plan go into action.

In December 2005, rumors began to circulate that Trump was considering a run for Governor of New York as a Republican in 2006. However, this rumor proved false as Trump stated "I'm not going to run for governor because I'm having too much fun doing what I'm doing now."

Television

In 1990, Trump's Atlantic City casino was used for the game show Trump Card, produced by Fielder-Berlin.

In 2004, Trump became the executive producer and host of the NBC reality show, The Apprentice, in which a group of competitors battled for a high-level management job in one of Trump's commercial enterprises. The other contestants were "fired", or eliminated, from the game. The winner of the program is "hired" into The Trump Organization with a 1-year "introductory" contract with a salary exceeding $250,000. At the end of each episode, Trump eliminated one contestant by telling them, "You're fired," which became a somewhat popular catch phrase. For the first year of the show Trump was paid a mere $50,000 per episode (roughly $700,000 for the first season), but following the show's initial success, he is now paid a reported $3,000,000 per episode ($48 Million USD if the job interview lasted for 16 weeks), making him one of the highest paid TV personalities.

Trump has also been included in numerous television commercials over the years obtaining him a $1 million fee for a Pizza Hut commercial in the 1990s, a $3 million fee for a Dominos Pizza commercial in 2005 as well as a $5 million fee for his Visa Card commercial the same year.

A Muppet of Donald Trump also appears in an episode of the 36th season of Sesame Street, alongside grouch Muppet Donald Grump.

Trump also guest starred on an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, when he almost buys their mansion for his nephew. The episode, called "For Sale by Owner", was episode 25 in the show's 4th season.

At the 2005 Emmy Awards, he sang the theme song for the classic TV series Green Acres. He wore a farmer's outfit and held a rake in his hand while singing the song. He won the award for "Best Emmy Idol" for his performance, which he shared with Will and Grace's Megan Mullally. He was referred to as "Diva Donald".

On October 24, 2005, Donald starred as himself on Days of our Lives. On the soap opera, Donald went to give a donation to the Horton Foundation.

Family

In 1977 Trump married Ivana Zelničkova and together they have three children: Donald, Jr. (born December 31, 1977), Ivanka (born October 30, 1981) and Eric (born 1984). They were divorced in 1992. In 1993, he married Marla Maples, and together they have one child, Tiffany (born October 13, 1993). They divorced on June 8, 1999. Ivanka Trump is featured in a documentary called Born Rich about the experience of growing up as an heir to not only one of America's prolific business lineages, but to also a respected name in the New York Business World.

On April 26, 2004, he proposed to Melania Knauss. Trump and Knauss married on January 22, 2005, at Bethesda by the Sea Episcopal Church on the Island of Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a reception at Trump's Mar-A-Lago estate. On September 27, 2005, the couple announced that Melania is pregnant with Trump's fifth child.

Trivia

• Donald Trump's "Trump Plaza" served as the site of WWF WrestleMania IV in 1988 and WWF WrestleMania V in 1989.
• In 2004, Donald Trump filed a trademark application for the phrase You're Fired, which he had popularized on The Apprentice.
• When it was revealed that he and Regis Philbin would sing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on Philbin's Christmas album, CNN began rolling it by calling the news article: "Comet, Cupid, Donald, and Regis?"
• Guests at Trump's recent wedding to Melania Knauss include: Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, Kathie Lee Gifford and Frank Gifford, Star Jones, Shaquille O'Neal, Barbara Walters, Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Simon Cowell, Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons, Matt Lauer, Rudolph Giuliani, Kelly Ripa, Chris Matthews, Don King, Katie Couric, Regis Philbin, Heidi Klum, Pat O'Brien, Mark Burnett, and many others.

Books

• Trump: The Art of the Deal
• Trump: The Art of Survival
• Trump: The Art of the Comeback
• Trump: Surviving at the Top
• Trump: How to Get Rich
• The Way to the Top: The Best Business Advice I Ever Received
• Trump: Think Like a Billionaire : Everything You Need to Know About Success, Real Estate, and Life

Trump University

In 2005, Donald Trump launched Trump University ([4]), a business education company that blends his knowledge and experience with world-class curriculum developed by leading academics and business experts. Trump University was founded on the principle of "learning by doing", and its offerings include online courses, multimedia home study programs, publications, Web seminars, and more. Trump is a firm believer in education, and many of his media ventures, like the The Apprentice and the books, have a strong educational element. Trump University grew out of his desire to impart the business knowledge he has accumulated over the years and from his realization that there is a huge demand for practical, convenient education that teaches success.

Properties

• Personal Residence: Trump Tower Penthouse: top 3 floors of Trump Tower with approximately 30,000 square feet (3,000 m²) of space; detailed in bronze, gold, and marble. Worth as much as $50 million, it is one of the most valuable apartments in the city.
• Palm Beach estate: 43,000 square feet (4,000 m²) on a large oceanfront lot in Palm Beach. Trump purchased this property for $40 million at a bankruptcy auction in 2004. Renovations to the property were led by Apprentice winner Kendra Todd, and Trump is planning to re-list the property for $125 million. If it is sold at this price it would be by far the most expensive house ever sold in the United States. (The current record is $70 million for Ron Perelman's Palm Beach estate in 2004.)
• Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida. Most of this estate has been converted into a private club. This landmark property is valued at $200,000,000.
• Trump Entertainment Resorts: This company owns the Trump branded casino resorts (Trump Taj Mahal, Plaza, Marina, Indiana, Club Privee). After a long period of financial trouble, the company entered bankruptcy protection in 2004. Trump agreed to invest $55 million cash in the new company and pay $16.4 million to the company's debtors. In return he holds a 29.16% stake in the new public company. This stake was worth approximately $150 million in October 2005.
• The Estates at Trump National: Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  Trump Grande: Florida
• The Trump Building at 40 Wall Street: Trump bought and renovated this building for about $35 million in 1996. Although Trump claims it is worth $400 million, New York tax assessors value it at only $90 million. Mr. Trump has taken out a $145 million mortgage on this property to use for other investments.
• Trump Palace: 200 East 69th Street, New York, NY
• Trump Parc: 106 Central Park South, New York, NY
• Trump Park Avenue: Park Avenue & 59th Street
• Trump Tower: 725 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10022 Trump owns the retail and office space on the lower half of this building.
• Trump World Tower: 845 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY
• Trump Tower at City Center: 10 City Place, White Plains, NY 10601
• Trump Plaza: Twin 32-story residential towers located in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida.

Current and Future Developments

• Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago
• Trump Tower, Tampa: Tampa, FL
• Trump International Hotel and Tower, Las Vegas
• Trump International Hotel and Tower, Toronto: 311 Bay St, Toronto (construction has not started.)
• Fort Lauderdale Beach Club: This 12-story building will offer 95 luxurious condominiums on Sea Breeze Boulevard.
• Fort Lauderdale Hotel & Tower: The Trump International Hotel will be located on North Atlantic Boulevard between Las Olas and Sunrise Boulevards. Designed by Michael Graves, the 24-story building will feature over 250 condominiums, a health club, spa and pool, and fine dining.
• Trump International Hotel & Residence, Phoenix: Situated on Camelback Road in the renowned and luxurious Biltmore Area of Phoenix.
• Trump Grande, Sunny Isles Beach, FL: Two condominium towers and a resort tower just north of Miami.
• 17 Luxury Towers in Dubai. (New York Post)
• Trump Island Villas: Canouan Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trump Plaza: Jersey City in Jersey City, NJ. The project includes New Jersey's two tallest residential towers and costs about $450 million. The 55-story tower will have 445 condos, and the 50-story tower will have 417..