Donald Trump has been a prominent figure in the public eye for decades, so long that many may have forgotten what first brought him into the spotlight.
Here’s a look at his journey, from a business mogul and TV personality to the unlikely politician who once said he had no interest in entering politics and is now eyeing a second term in the world’s most influential political office.
Donald Trump is seeking a second term in the White House. Source: Getty, AFP / Mandel Ngan
Trump’s formative years
Born on 14 June 1946 to wealthy parents of German and Scottish origins, Trump is the fourth child of New York real estate tycoon Fred Trump and Mary Anne MacLeod.
He was sent to the New York Military Academy at age 13 after exhibiting misbehaviour in school, and at the time, has been described as “a five-year lesson in bullying” by his classmates.
Trump first enrolled at Fordham University, a private research institution in New York City, where he studied for two years before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, from where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1968.
He frequently reminisces about his time at Wharton, boasting about attending what he calls the “hardest school to get into” and “the best business school”.
Donald Trump said he began his career with a “small” loan of one million dollars from his father Fred Trump. Source: Getty / New York Daily News Archive
Dual path to fame before politics
Successfully managing to avoid being drafted…
