Donald John Trump was born in New York on June 14, 1946.

Born in New York, Trump's grandparents immigrated to the United States from Baden-Baden. His father was a real estate agent. Donald Trump was forced to drop out of high school in the early 1960s due to poor performance. He then attended a military academy and, after 1968, studied business administration at the Wharton Institute in Pennsylvania. He ran errands for his father's company, which specialized in the construction of single- and two-family homes.

Trump even made his first venture big. In 1973, he commissioned the construction of an 18-story skyscraper with 290 apartments in New York City. As with all his subsequent projects, he secured financing through tax breaks and other privileges from the government, such as the granting of cheap land for construction.

He made his "Big Deal" in 1975. He purchased the dilapidated Commodore Hotel adjacent to Grand Central Station for $10 million. With renovations totaling $80 million, he aimed to transform it into a luxury hotel with over 1,400 rooms within five years. Since New York had largely lost its former glory by the mid-1970s, the city welcomed his initiative.

New York City was on the verge of bankruptcy due to mismanagement and social problems. In addition to the support he received from the city, Trump signed a contract with the Hyatt Hotel chain, which purchased 50% of the newly constructed glass palace for $100 million. Because Trump invested no more than $90 million in the project, he profited handsomely from the deal. Opened in September 1980, the Grand Hyatt Hotel quickly became a premier New York City landmark.

Following the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which transformed the city's landscape, Trump quickly became known as "the man who revitalized New York." The ornate bronze and glass facades, designed by architects and designers, were designed by Trump. Trump Tower, a luxurious temple built in 1983, with its golden cascade walls and numerous high-society shops, became his prestige project.

In the mid-1980s, Trump designed New York's most massive development project ever: Television City, on the west bank of the Hudson River. This never-realized project envisioned eleven 45-story towers and a 145-story skyscraper, designed to exceed 400 meters in height and become the world's tallest building.

His next most spectacular exploits occurred in the late 1980s. Trump, competing directly with Lufthansa, purchased the Plaza Hotel for $420 million and also acquired the fleet of aircraft from the bankrupt Eastern Airlines (37 Boeing 727s) for $350 million to establish his own airline. In 1990, he entered the casino business with the construction of the Taj Mahal Hotel-Casino in Adantic City. At the time, the 41-year-old entrepreneur's fortune was estimated at $4 billion.

Within a year, his downfall began. Forbes and the Wall Street Journal were reporting Trump's "unimaginable construction debt." The construction mogul had overextended himself. Family problems were also a factor. His wife, Ivana Zelnickova, a Czechoslovakian ski champion, announced that she would file for divorce from Trump on the grounds of adultery after a heated argument in the press. Although the couple reconciled, their business relationship completely broke down in 1993 after a brief relationship, and Trump paid his wife $15 million in compensation.

In the early 1990s, Trump was unable to tolerate banks dictating the terms of his future loans. His annual interest payments reached $120 million. He was also forced to tolerate significant interference in his lavish lifestyle. His personal expenses were placed under surveillance, and he was now allowed to spend "only" $350,000 annually.

Nevertheless, Trump recovered faster than expected. He was able to pay off most of his debts through new financiers. In the mid-1990s, he had large-scale construction plans planned for Austria and Berlin.

2012 and 2016 US Presidential Elections
Trump's emblem and campaign slogan for the 2016 US presidential election. Donald Trump announced that he would not be a candidate in the 2012 US presidential election. He announced that he would enter the race within the party to determine the Republican Party's nominee for the 2016 US presidential election. He said he would spend $2 million per week on his campaign. Donald Trump used "Make America Great Again" as his campaign slogan. Former President Ronald Reagan also used the same slogan in his 1980 campaign. His campaign promises focused on his views on immigrants, Muslims, security, and the fight against ISIS. One of his proposed plans for immigrants is the construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border.

Books He Wrote
Trump: The Art of the Deal, (ISBN 5-557-09901-8)
Trump: The Art of Survival, (ISBN 0-446-36209-3)
Trump: The Art of the Comeback, (ISBN 0-8129-2964-0)
Trump: Surviving at the Top, (ISBN 0-394-57597-0)
Trump: How to Get Rich, (ISBN 1-4000-6327-2)
The Way to the Top: The Best Business Advice I Ever Received, (ISBN 1-4000-5016-2)
Trump: Think Like a Billionaire: Everything You Need to Know About Success, Real Estate, and Life, (ISBN 1-4000-6355-8)
Trump: The Best Golf Advice I Ever Received, (ISBN 0-307-20999-7)
Why We Want You to be Rich: Two Men – One Message, (ISBN 1-933914-02-5)
Trump: 101 The Way to Success, (ISBN 978-9944-186-10-0)