© AFP 2016, Brendan Smialowski

Trump vs. the Republican Party: The Hour of Reckoning Has Come

US election race 2016

Republicans can no longer remain neutral because they must now fight this tycoon for the spirit of their party.

Hours before Donald Trump took a decisive lead among the Republican presidential nominees, winning primaries in Florida, Illinois and North Carolina - and finishing second in Ohio to local favorite Gov. John Kasich—I asked Stuart Stevens, chief strategist for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign and now a leading Trump critic in the Republican Party, how to stop a leading presidential contender at this point from Republicans and how far anti-Trump Republicans will go to block his path to the White House. He answered very briefly: “The devil knows.”

Given Trump's victories on Tuesday, March 15, the xenophobic tycoon poses an even greater challenge for the Republican Party. So far he has not been nominated as the party's only candidate. However, among the remaining contenders, he has the best chance of achieving this - or coming close to this goal by receiving a significant number of delegates' votes. This means that the moment of truth is now inexorably approaching, when every Republican - including all elected officials, all candidates and voters - will have to answer a simple question: are you for Trump or against him?

This will be a major issue in American politics over the coming weeks and months. Republicans in various positions will be required to give a clear answer, and their answer will determine whether their party can maintain control of the upper house of Parliament. All Republicans seeking office will have to answer whether they support Muslim-hating, woman-ridiculing, Mexican-bashing, violence-inciting Trump. Forget about immigration reform, the fight against ISIS, tax cuts, government tax caps and the healthcare system. It is Trump's candidacy that will become the main fault line in the Republican Party, as all its members will have to take sides in this intractable dispute.

Context

Super Tuesday 2

The Washington Post 03/16/2016

Super Tuesday: Winners and Losers

The Washington Post 03/02/2016

Trump is enemy number one

Boulevard Voltaire 03/15/2016
This serious problem is entirely the work of Republicans. For years, members of this party have encouraged and actively embraced the politics of hate that has contributed to the toxic atmosphere in which Trump thrives. Previously, the Republican Party establishment had been able to capture the votes of dissatisfied and angry voters without having to deal with the rage it fueled and banked on. Even if you take Trump out of the equation, the Republican Party's 2016 field still looks pretty ugly, with its top candidates seeking to win voter support by appealing to the extremist sentiments of the party's base. Marco Rubio, who dropped his campaign after Trump beat him in his home state, was once the Republican establishment's alternative to the mogul, but during his campaign he sharply criticized Hillary Clinton over Benghazi. He didn't just disagree with President Barack Obama's policies: he said Obama deliberately wanted to destroy the United States. In addition, he has repeatedly claimed that Obama is trying to take away Americans' guns—during his campaign, he even bought a gun on Christmas Eve, saying he needed it to protect his family from ISIS. In this way, he tried to win the support of those Republicans who were led to believe that Obama was some kind of Muslim socialist of Kenyan origin who had entered into a secret conspiracy to destroy the United States.

Ted Cruz also appealed to extremist sentiments. Consider his father, Rafael Cruz, a fundamentalist pastor who repeatedly calls Obama the enemy of God and calls on conservative Christians to take control of every aspect of society. Ted Cruz himself is friends with a pastor who called for the execution of all homosexuals. Ben Carson, who briefly led the Republican Party ticket, promoted conspiracy theories that liberals were determined to destroy the American nation. Chris Christie legitimized crude language during the debate by promising to kick "Obama's ass out of the White House."

There was a ton of crude, vulgar and violent rhetoric and hate extremism in the GOP candidates' campaigns that did not come from Trump. Who started the penis size debate? Rubio speaking out about Trump's small hands. It’s just that Trump, who has extensive experience working with the public, managed to collect the shortcomings of the Republican Party and turn them into votes. Republicans, surprised by Trump's rise in their ranks out of fear and hatred, are shrugging it off for now.

The Republican Party has long unleashed the dogs of hate. Now Trump, like Montgomery Burns, is at the head of the pack. And the Republicans are starting to wonder how to stop all this madness. Senator Ben Sasse recently promised to found a new political party if Trump becomes the Republican nominee. Stuart Stevens says he will support the move. “I believe it’s a personal moral choice,” he notes. “But from my point of view, Trump is a racist, so I can’t support him.” Meanwhile, creating a new party will become an extremely difficult task. In most states—thanks to the efforts of Democrats and Republicans—it will be very difficult to add a third party line to the ballot. Typically, it is much easier to find a spot on the ballot for an independent candidate. However, many states have filing deadlines for independent presidential candidates before the July GOP convention. Therefore, anti-Trump Republicans cannot wait for a convention and Trump's actual nomination to create a third party - a project that will require enormous financial investment and organizational effort. In any case, the plans of Republicans and conservatives to nominate an alternative candidate if the Republican Party gives the nomination to Trump will be extremely difficult to implement.

Republicans will have to pass this test. If the Trump Express doesn't derail, Republicans will have to say long before the convention whether they're willing to ride the train or not. And if they want to get off it, what will they do next? Rubio called Trump a swindler. How can he now support a scenario in which an alleged rogue could gain control of the US nuclear arsenal? Romney also spoke out against Trump. He won't accept any other candidates — he campaigned for Kasich in Ohio — but he called for a vote against Trump. Will he call for the creation of a new party or support for an alternative Conservative? Although some members of the Republican Party establishment have come out against Trump, their campaign remains poorly organized, poorly financed and therefore not very persuasive. Leading conservative activists have set a meeting for later this week where they intend to develop a plan to nominate a conservative who could challenge Trump in the fall. However, many influential members of the Republican Party have not yet declared their preferences. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, we await your decision. (During his victory speech to a crowd of rich and powerful people Tuesday night, Trump noted that he had recently spoken with Ryan and McConnell and called on the party to unite under Trump's banner.)

Given Trump's victory on Tuesday, the 2016 campaign will become a national referendum on Trump's candidacy. Long ago, Republicans hoped this election would center around Hillary Clinton. Her victories on Tuesday in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina will take her big steps toward the Democratic nomination, but there is much about herself and her background that could spark a heated national debate. So far, the November election appears to be more of a vote on Trump's candidacy. And before presenting that choice to the American public, Republicans must deal with Trump. Until one or another Republican declares his attitude towards Trump, his words will have virtually no meaning. And whether Trump's opponents form a third party or support a strong independent candidate, the Republican Party is unlikely to avoid deep divisions within its ranks. Some Republicans will side with Chris Christie, others will turn away in horror. No one can dodge the question about Trump, and the Republican Party may not survive this hour of reckoning.

Donald John Trump - 45th President of the United States, a billionaire television personality and author of books on how to achieve success, whose career took an unexpected and dramatic leap with the election of Trump as the Republican President. Confident, contrary to all forecasts, Trump’s victory in the presidential election on November 8, 2016 caused shock waves in world markets and confronted the world with the eternal Russian question “what will happen now.”

Donald Trump was born on June 14, 1946 in New York, into a large family with German and Scottish roots. Donald has two brothers and two sisters. Donald's father, Frederick Trump (1905-1999), was a real estate developer, and Donald followed in his father's footsteps after graduating from university. Over the years, Trump's business acumen and drive have made him one of New York's most prominent developers. Forbes estimates Trump's wealth at more than two and a half billion dollars and ranks him about 324th in the world in terms of wealth.

Donald Trump spent his childhood in Queens in eastern New York. The boy grew up energetic and daring. At the age of 13, Donald’s parents sent him to a military academy to channel the child’s fighting energy in the right direction, but Trump never joined the army. In 1964, Trump entered Fordham University in New York, and two years later he transferred to the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics.

Donald Trump's career in the construction business began in 1971, when he took control of the family firm, Elizabeth Trump & Son. Under Donald's leadership, the family business grew to unprecedented proportions and became a colossal construction empire called The Trump Organization. The empire owns dozens of skyscrapers, hotels, casinos and residential buildings around the world.

Personal life of Donald Trump is typical for a billionaire: he is married for the third time and has five children and eight grandchildren. With his first wife, former Czech model Ivana Zelníková (1949), Trump has three children: Donald Trump Jr. (1977), Ivanka Trump (1981) and Eric Trump (1984). Trump's second wife is American actress Marla Maples. In this marriage, which lasted from 1993 to 1999, a daughter, Tiffany, was born - an Instagram star and almost a singer. Trump's third wife and first lady of the United States is Melania Trump (1970). The marriage took place in 2005 and Trump's youngest son, Barron, was born in 2006. It’s interesting that this is Melania’s first and so far only child.

Trump's election program is one of the most scandalous in US history: he promises to build a wall on the border with Mexico, make friends with and ban Muslims from entering the States. And although everyone understands that none of these promises will be fulfilled, the world is preparing for a fun and enjoyable four years of the Trump presidency, which began on January 20, 2017, after the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States.

Interesting facts about Donald Trump:

At the time of taking office (January 20, 2017), Trump was the oldest (age 70 and a half) and richest ($2.5 billion) US president.

Melania Trump has become the first First Lady of the United States in history whose native language is not English.

Today is the anniversary of the US presidential election. The ruling Republican Party approached this date in a state of deep split associated with the figure of Donald Trump. The Republican establishment openly opposes the head of the White House, while the rank-and-file members of the party remain loyal to him. Deprived of the support of the Washington elite, Donald Trump is forced to act as a non-partisan independent politician. According to experts interviewed by Kommersant, without interaction with the president, who remains the formal leader of the party, the Republicans risk failure in the congressional elections in November 2018. In turn, if the Republicans lose their majority in Congress, Donald Trump will lose his chances of re-election in the 2020 elections.

According to a poll conducted at the end of October by Fox News, the Democratic Party has greater public support than the Republican Party. Answering the question: “Which party's candidate would you prefer if elections to the House of Representatives and Senate were held today?”, 50% of respondents voted for Democrats, 35% for Republicans. In November 2016, a similar Fox News poll found partisan parity: 45% to 45%.

According to Gordon Khan, a member of the advisory board of the Geostrategic Forecasting Corporation (USA), the results of the latest Fox News study are associated with growing public dissatisfaction with the activities of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States, which he became after being nominated as a candidate from the Republican Party. “First of all, the dynamics of public sentiment are due to his inadequate and provocative statements and, to a lesser extent, political decisions,” Gordon Khan explained to Kommersant. According to the expert, the president during his administration alienated a significant number of traditional Republicans, as well as so-called libertarians and constitutionalists in the party. In addition, those supporters in the Democratic Party who pinned certain hopes on him after the elections turned away from him.

“They were all disappointed in him as a person who, on the one hand, showed himself to be rude, peremptory and incompetent, and on the other, was unable or unwilling to fulfill his election promises. For example, he did not achieve the repeal of Obamacare - health care reform and patient protection in the United States, introduced by the administration of Barack Obama. Or he was unable to advance the project to build a wall on the border with Mexico,” noted Kommersant’s interlocutor.

Recently, Donald Trump's rival in last year's election, Hillary Clinton, held the president responsible for steps that, in her opinion, split and explode the Republican Party. One illustration of this centrifugal process was the recent anti-presidential demarche of two well-known Republican senators, Jeff Flake and Bob Corker. The first publicly accused the head of the White House of “reckless, offensive and disgraceful behavior,” adding that we are talking about a direct threat to democracy. The second noted that the White House under Donald Trump is comparable “to a kindergarten for adults, which requires the constant supervision of teachers.”

The American media immediately recalled that both legislators do not intend to stand as candidates for the next congressional elections. Accordingly, the approaching resignation freed senators from the need to follow party discipline. However, among influential Republicans there are many more politicians who treat Donald Trump as a misunderstanding. Thus, the Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has repeatedly questioned Mr. Trump’s ability to understand the essence of presidential powers.

“Of course, Trump is a challenge for both the Republican Party and the entire US political system,” Victoria Zhuravleva, head of the US foreign and domestic policy sector at IMEMO RAS, explained to Kommersant. “Coming from the world of business, Trump does not belong to the establishment, he is not controlled by it, he did not go through the institutional ladder that is obligatory for every American politician - governor, senator, head of state.” According to Ms. Zhuravleva, Donald Trump behaves unacceptable for those traditional Republican conservatives who vote for the Republican Party with each election cycle. “In the American political process, the image of the president stems from the image of the party and vice versa. And now Trump, with his negative perception among the Republican electorate, is creating a negative image of the party as a whole,” the expert believes.

In November 2018, midterm elections for a third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives will take place in the United States. With a very high degree of probability, Democrats will receive a majority in the lower house of parliament: Americans traditionally do not like it when one party controls both the president and Congress. “According to American political tradition, these midterm elections tend to favor the party in opposition. It's almost a pattern. Democrats may well strengthen their presence in Congress, primarily in the House of Representatives,” Yuri Rogulev, director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States (MSU), told Kommersant.

According to the expert, President Trump can take credit for the growing American economy. “In addition, the Supreme Court has upheld Trump's anti-immigrant executive orders. Those who supported him in the elections may well be pleased with his decisive attitude in this matter,” adds Kommersant’s interlocutor. On the other hand, Yuri Rogulev recalls, the administration in the White House failed to cancel the Obamacare health care reform program initiated by President Obama, which remains one of the main sources of spending. “Now it is important for the head of the White House to achieve approval in Congress of his tax reform plan, which provides, in particular, a 20% reduction in corporate income tax,” the expert continues.

Experts interviewed by Kommersant agree that a year after the presidential election, a stalemate has developed in American politics.

According to Victoria Zhuravleva, both leading parties are in crisis. “The Republicans in 2016 were unable to nominate a candidate for the presidency who would be stronger than the virtually unsystematic Trump. As for the Democratic Party, its establishment is not ready to promote new young leaders,” the expert explains. Regarding the political future of Donald Trump, Ms. Zhuravleva noted: “The only window of opportunity for the president is interaction with Congress. If the Republicans lose in 2018, then in the presidential elections in 2020 he will lose his chance to retain his seat in the White House. Accordingly, the Republican elite, with all its rejection of Trump, needs to interact with him at least until November 2018 in order to avoid defeat in re-election to Congress.”

Georgy Stepanov

Donald John Trump is an American entrepreneur, billionaire, construction magnate, owner of a large chain of hotels and casinos. Author of an impressive number of books on business and self-development. Member of the Republican Party. On November 8, 2016, Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States.

Childhood

In 1930, 18-year-old native of a Scottish village, Mary MacLeod, came to New York on vacation. There, fate brought her together with 25-year-old Fred Trump, the son of German immigrants, who at such a young age already owned his own construction company.

In 1936 the couple got married; the couple bought a cottage in a respectable area of ​​Queens, the father of the family continued to engage in the construction business, and Mary devoted herself entirely to motherhood. Donald Trump was the fourth child in the family, but, having inherited his father’s tough and assertive character, he was not going to get used to the role of his younger brother. Neither his parents nor his school teachers could cope with the obnoxious Donald, so at the age of 13 the boy was faced with a fact: he was going to the New York Military Academy.

As a cadet, Trump proved himself to be a disciplined student who boasted good grades, social skills, and athletic success. The parents could not be happier with their son, who had suddenly come to his senses, and even began to set him up as an example to the other children.

First steps on the path to success

In 1964, Trump graduated from the military academy with flying colors and entered Fordham University. After studying there for 4 semesters, he transferred to the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1968, he received a bachelor's degree in economics, after which his father accepted his son into the family business. Donald became seriously interested in real estate, hoping in the future to become the heir to the Trump construction empire and multiply his father's fortune many times over.

The first project entrusted to Donald was the grandiose residential complex Swifton Village in Ohio, designed for 1,200 apartments for the “middle class”. Under the leadership of the younger Trump, the company managed to complete the project within a year, spending $6 million on construction and earning $12 million from the sale of apartments.

Double income is a more than excellent start to a career, but Trump was not going to stop there. The construction of apartments in Ohio was sponsored by the state, but Donald understood that for financial support for more serious projects it was worth turning not to government organizations, but to the powers that be: bankers, top managers, oil tycoons. In 1971, Donald rented an apartment in the heart of New York - on the island of Manhattan. Here his circle of acquaintances quickly expanded with influential people.

The rise of an empire

In 1974, Trump, with the help of new connections, won a tender to restore the dilapidated Commodore Hotel. Since many of the buildings near the hotel were also in poor condition and needed a financial injection, as did the city itself, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, Donald managed to obtain tax breaks from the mayor's office for a period of 40 years. Moreover, the largest banks in New York provided him with a mortgage loan totaling $70 million. There was only one condition: Trump had to put the area in order.

Donald's firm got down to business, and six years later, Manhattan residents were able to see the 25-story glass and steel monolith that replaced the dull yellow building, surrounded by new, functional and livable neighborhoods. Much later, in October 1996, half of the rights to the hotel were bought by one of the largest hotel chains, Hyatt, increasing Trump's fortune by $142 million.

In 1979, Donald had his eye on a piece of land on 5th Avenue, across from the Tiffany & Co jewelry store. When the businessman was asked what made him buy this particular place, he replied: “The wealthiest people in New York always hang out at Tiffany’s stores.” By 1983, the 58-story Trump Tower skyscraper had risen on this site, surpassing all city buildings in height.

The house instantly gained the fame of an elite complex: the windows of the apartments overlooked Central Park, a series of boutiques and restaurants were located below, the floor was tiled with pink marble, and a three-meter fountain beat in the hall. All the apartments were bought up within a few months, and Trump became $200 million richer.

When gambling was legalized in New Jersey in 1977, Trump realized that he had a tidbit that should not be missed. In 1980, he purchased a plot of land in Atlantic City, entrusting his brother Robert with obtaining a gambling license. In 1982, the grandiose Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino hotel and entertainment complex worth $250 million was opened. In 1986, Donald bought the city's Hilton hotel and built the $320 million Trump's Castle in its place. At the same time, he began construction of the largest hotel-casino in the world, the Taj Mahal, which opened its doors to visitors in 1990.

On the verge of bankruptcy

By the early 90s, Donald's fortune was estimated at $1 billion. In addition to a chain of hotels, casinos and luxury residential skyscrapers, the Trump empire included the Trump Shuttle Airline, the New Jersey Generals football team and a huge number of small businesses that Donald himself lost count of. Gradually, he began to lose control over the business that had grown to incredible proportions.

New projects were financed with borrowed funds, which was quite risky. Trump's creditors included large banks and investment companies: Citicorp, Merrill Lynch, Chase Manhattan. The businessman’s debts were growing rapidly, and the threat of bankruptcy was aggravated by the brewing crisis in the real estate sector. In the early 90s, debts to creditors reached $9.8 billion, of which Trump had to pay $900 million out of his own pocket. On the verge of bankruptcy, the businessman was forced to mortgage the Trump Tower skyscraper. The press added fuel to the fire, criticizing Donald's every move.

Thanks to his innate perseverance, Donald managed to get out of the debt hole. Gambling revenues covered most of the debt; by 1997, the tycoon had completely repaid his debts and began working on new projects. In 2001, Trump's company, together with the Korean enterprise Daewoo, completed the construction of the 72-story Trump World Tower. The 262-meter skyscraper has risen exactly opposite the UN headquarters in Manhattan.

The 2008 financial crisis was a new shock to Trump's construction empire. Due to falling sales, he was unable to repay the 40 million loan on time. Although the billionaire could easily pay off the debt with his own funds, he filed for bankruptcy, claiming that the crisis was force majeure. On February 17, 2009, Trump announced his decision to leave the Board of Directors of his own company.

Television appearances

In 2002, Trump launched the prime-time reality show The Apprentice. Participants had to compete among themselves for the right to become a top manager in Trump's company. Unlucky contestants were greeted with the businessman's signature phrase: “You're fired!” (in 2004 he even applied to register the trademark “You are fired!”). For each episode of the first season, Donald received about $50 thousand, but with the start of the second season, the cost of one episode increased to $3 million - so Trump became one of the highest paid presenters on television.

In 2006, Trump, together with NBC, bought out the Miss Universe Organization, which organized the Miss Universe and Miss America beauty pageants.

The construction magnate also appeared with cameos in several films and TV series, for example, in the comedy Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, he explained to young Macaulay Culkin how to get into the hall.

Donald Trump cameo in Home Alone 2

In 2007, Trump got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which the businessman received for creating the reality show “The Apprentice.”

In October of the same year, Donald was invited to Larry King's studio, where he sharply spoke about the foreign policy of George W. Bush and the appearance of Angelina Jolie. Many people remember other words spoken on the evening broadcast: then Trump said that in the next elections he would certainly support Rudolph Giuliani and Hillary Clinton if they nominated themselves for the presidency. He was reminded of this speech in 2013, when Trump was again visiting the host.

Donald Trump visiting Larry King

Donald Trump's political career. Most Influential Republican

Trump had been tipped for the US presidency since the 80s, but at that time the needle of Donald’s political compass was constantly darting between the right and left poles. By 2009, he had more or less decided on his own views and joined the Republican Party. They tried to nominate Donald, an outstanding economist and manager, to participate in the presidential elections back in 2011, but the businessman said that he was not ready to leave the private sector.

On June 16, 2015, Trump made it clear to US residents that he had changed his mind, announcing his readiness to fight for the presidency. Trump's presidential campaign was carefully planned: first he visited the state of New Hampshire, traditionally considered a Republican stronghold, then toured Nevada and California, states that previously received a solid financial injection from the Donald. Trump also repeatedly held rallies in his support to entertain the electorate.

Trump's popularity was influenced by his character: the newly minted politician was accustomed to speaking openly, without veiling his speech with euphemisms. Because of this feature, he gained fame as an eccentric truth teller.

The main messages of the Trump campaign concerned the following areas of American society: immigration, health care, the economy and domestic policy. The Republican treated the people of Mexico and the Middle East extremely coldly. If he wins the election, Trump threatened to build an analogue of the Great Wall of China on the border with Mexico. Trump has also advocated many times for the immediate elimination of ISIS armed forces.

Donald Trump Blames Democrats for Creating ISIS

Donald demanded the repeal of Barack Obama's health care program, saying it was too expensive for the government to provide and that he would have no problem finding better methods that would be cheaper for taxpayers.

In the economic sector, even Democrats listened to the billionaire; he argued for the need to return production to the United States by increasing duties on goods of American companies manufactured abroad, and also argued for the need for a trade war with China.

Donald Trump's scandalous video featuring Vladimir Putin

He outlined his point of view in more detail in the book “Mutilated America,” published in 2015.

According to Forbes magazine, in 2016, Donald Trump's fortune crossed the $4 billion mark. It continued to grow, including through real estate licensing - developers themselves paid Trump to build and sell new projects on his behalf.

In March 2016, Donald Trump was named the most likely Republican presidential candidate, predicting that he would face Hillary Clinton in the final round of elections.

In Russia, Trump's candidacy for the presidency was greeted warmly, as the billionaire more than once publicly promised to improve relations with the Kremlin.

The results of the election for the 45th US President were unpredictable. A month before the final day, both candidates received a good portion of “black PR”. Clinton was involved in a scandal involving the FBI, Trump was accused of sexual harassment. Clinton was confidently predicted to win, especially after the third and final debate. However, the results surprised everyone - Trump easily beat his competitor, gaining 306 electoral votes out of the 270 required for victory, thereby securing a seat in the Oval Office of the White House. Michael Pence Donald Trump with his first wife Ivanka

Trump began dating his second wife, actress Marla Maples, back in 1989, and immediately after his divorce from Ivana, he proposed to her. She gave the billionaire a daughter, Tiffany. But the marriage did not last long - they divorced in 1999. Tiffany grew up with her mother in California, but her father also took part in her upbringing.

At the beginning of 2005, Donald married another fashion model from Eastern Europe - 34-year-old Melanie Knauss. Trump's third wife was originally from Slovenia, shone on the pages of glossy magazines, and did not hesitate to appear very candidly. The wedding of Trump and Melanie was included in the list of the most expensive wedding ceremonies with a budget of $45 million. In 2006, their common son, Barron William Trump, was born.

Donald Trump now

By the spring of 2019, Trump signed many decrees aimed at economic and foreign policy reforms: he expanded the territory for oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico and all oceans except the Indian; tightened measures to combat terrorist organizations; ordered a missile strike on Damascus in response to the Syrian president’s use of chemical weapons against the opposition; withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, under the terms of which the “six” countries received partial control over Iran’s nuclear weapons.

But within America itself, Trump’s repeatedly expressed intention to build a wall between the United States and Mexico to limit the influx of illegal immigrants into the country has caused particularly heated debate.

It was the wall on the border with its southern neighbor that caused the suspension of the US Government at the end of 2018. The Mexican Wall (or "Trump's Wall"), one of the main points of the president's election program, was valued at almost six billion dollars.

Donald John Trump, 45th President of the United States, formerly a prominent construction magnate and television and radio celebrity. As a multi-talented and energetic person, Donald Trump has experienced himself in many guises. Success in urban planning, on television, organizing various reality shows, beauty contests - he succeeded in everything, and if difficulties arose, then with real American optimism he continued to move forward.

Finally, having decided to try his hand at politics, Donald Trump declared himself the candidate for President of the United States from the Republican Party. Having won many primaries, he became the official presidential candidate on July 16, 2016, and in November of the same year became the 45th President of the United States, after defeating a representative of the Democratic Party Hillary Clinton .

Childhood, education of Donald Trump

Donald Trump as a child (Photo: wikipedia.org)

Trump's father Fred Christ Trump(11.10.1905 - 25.06.1999), mother - Mary Ann MacLeod(10.05.1912 - 07.08.2000). Donald Trump's paternal grandparents are German immigrants. Trump's grandfather Frederick Trump(born Drumpf) (03/14/1869 - 03/30/1918). Came to the United States in 1885, became a citizen in 1892. Grandmother - Elizabeth Christ (10.10.1880 — 6.06.1966).

The parents of the future president got married in 1936. Mary Ann gave birth to Fred five children: three sons - Fred Jr., Donald, Roberta and two daughters: Marianne And Elizabeth. Unfortunately, Fred Jr. died. As Donald Trump himself said, his brother had problems with alcohol and smoking.

Donald Trump was an overactive and restless teenager in his youth. The future president even faced problems because of this. while attending Kew Forest School in Forest Hills. His parents sent him to a private boarding school, the New York Military Academy, and they were not mistaken. Donald liked this school, he played football, baseball, and won awards.

Donald Trump with his parents at graduation from the New York Military Academy (Photo: wikipedia.org)

In his book “The Art of the Deal,” Trump, recalling his youth, noted that after graduating from the military academy in 1964, he even thought about entering film school, but still decided that “real estate is a more profitable business.” It was not difficult for him to come to this idea, since his father successfully worked in real estate.

Donald graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and a minor in finance, after which he focused on a business career.

Career, business of Donald Trump

Donald Trump started out renting houses to middle-class people while working for his father's firm. One of his first projects, while still a student, was the renovation of the 1,200-apartment Swifton Village complex in Cincinnati. The Trump Organization, thanks to the efforts of a young entrepreneur, sold it for $12 million (with $6 million in net profit).

In 1971, Donald moved to Manhattan. He had the keen eye of a businessman already in his youth. His popularity was brought to him by the reconstruction of the Commodore Hotel and the opening of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, and he became a famous urban planner in New York.

Donald Trump with his father (Photo: wikipedia.org)

While continuing to work in the construction business, he rationally assessed the cost of his projects. Trump estimated the Jacob Javits Convention Center construction project at $110 million, while the city's estimate ranged from $750 million to $1 billion. His project was not accepted. The city also attempted to renovate the Wollman Rink in Central Park. The project began in 1980 and was designed for 2.5 years. However, after spending $12 million on it, the city authorities did not finish it by 1986. Donald Trump offered to accept the facility under construction for free in order to continue the work at his own expense, but he was again refused. As a result of the intervention of local media, he received a construction permit, which he completed in 6 months, saving $750 thousand out of the $3 million budgeted.

However, business was not without difficulties. In 1989, Trump was unable to repay his loans due to the financial crisis and his craving for high-interest “junk bonds.” In 1991, increasing debts due to the construction of the third Trump-Taj Mahal casino for $1 billion brought not only Trump's business, but also him personally, to the brink of bankruptcy. Donald Trump got out of the situation by giving half the stake to the original bondholders in the Citibank casino and hotel in exchange for favorable terms on those loans.

Until the late 90s, Trump had a difficult business situation, although he diligently got rid of debts and continued to be a successful developer. At the same time, in the news about Trump there were different estimates of his wealth and until now the media are rarely unanimous in determining how rich Donald is and how much money he currently has. According to Trump’s declaration of May 2016, the lower limit of his fortune is 1.5 billion. According to media estimates, his fortune is in the range of 3-4 billion. Only the TOP 10 most expensive real estate properties of a businessman are estimated at $2.5 billion.

Donald Trump in front of the buildings he owns in Manhattan (Photo: wikipedia.org)

Donald Trump's presidential race

Trump began to become interested in politics in 2000, when he participated in the primaries of the Reform Party. But Donald really burst into the political life of the United States and the world 15 years later. On June 16, 2015, Donald Trump at his headquarters officially announced his intention to become the US presidential candidate from the Republican Party, and from that moment on, news about Trump gradually conquered the information space of the planet. “I will be the greatest president God has ever created,” he told his associates. “Make America Great Again” was his campaign slogan.

At the Republican National Convention in July 2016, Donald became the official Republican presidential candidate. Then there was a final push, during which businessman Trump beat politician Hillary Clinton, whom many predicted to win. In the presidential election on November 8, 2016, Donald Trump exceeded the threshold of 270 electoral college votes required to win (he received a total of 306 electoral votes).

After the inauguration on January 20, 2017, Trump’s enemies did not calm down and behaved indecently aggressively. An entire campaign was launched regarding Donald Trump’s ties with Russia, while opponents did not disdain the dirtiest provocations, such as a pseudo-spy report about the businessman spending time with prostitutes in Moscow, where he attended the Miss Universe 2013 pageant in 2013. President of Russia Vladimir Putin in an interview with a CNN journalist, he said that these scandals indicate the degradation of the US political elite, and Putin said about those who ordered “compromising evidence” that they themselves are “worse than prostitutes.”

Trump campaign (Photo: AP/TASS)

Donald Trump Family

Donald Trump has been married three times and has five children. He has eight grandchildren.

In 1977, Trump married Ivana Zelnichkova. The first wife is a Czechoslovak skier, later a fashion model. Trump's children from his first marriage - Donald (1977), Ivanka(1981) and Eric(1984). In 1992, Donald divorced his first wife.

Not a very famous actress and producer Marla Maples- Trump's second wife, who gave birth to his daughter Tiffany Ariana(1993). Their marriage lasted from 1993 to 1999.

Donald Trump with his family (Photo: Global Look Press)

In 2005, the billionaire married for the third time. Trump's current wife Melania(née Knaus). Melania Trump was born in the Yugoslav city of Novo Mesto in 1970, she is 24 years younger than Donald. Melania has become a successful fashion model, and she is also a designer of watches and jewelry. In 2006, Melania and Donald had a son. Barron William.

Instagram

Donald Trump's official account