Donald Trump is one of the most controversial politicians in US history and the first president to be impeached twice. Following his presidency, he has had to face a number of criminal trials, including one for conspiracy against the United States.
Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946, the fourth of five children in the borough of Queens, New York. His father, Fred C. Trump, was a real estate entrepreneur. He built apartment buildings in the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. His mother was the daughter of a Scottish fisherman and came from a poor background. His paternal grandparents were immigrants to America from Kallstadt in the Palatinate region of Germany.
As a child, Donald Trump was confirmed in the Presbyterian Church. In October 2020, however, he declared that he would henceforth consider himself a non-denominational Christian.
Donald Trump’s way
Rigid rules and strict discipline prevailed in the Trump family. Fred Trump demanded obedience and loyalty from his children and instilled in them a sense of superiority. When Donald Trump was 13, his parents sent him to the New York Military Academy. Despite the military structure of his schooling, Donald Trump refused to go to the Vietnam War for health reasons. The reason given was painful heel spurs.
In 1964, Donald Trump began studying economics at Fordham University in New York. He went on to specialize in the economics of real estate at the Wharton School in Philadelphia.
In 1971, he took over the management of the family business „Elizabeth Trump & Son“, founded by his grandmother and continued by his father.
In 1983, he built Trump Tower, a 58-story, 202-meter skyscraper in midtown New York.
Donald Trump’s fortune is estimated at more than three billion US dollars. However, rumors of possible bankruptcies and shady business dealings persist. According to the New York Times, tax records show that Donald Trump lost about $1.17 billion between 1985 and 1994.
Donald Trump – The Entertainer
Donald Trump has proven his talent as an entertainer and showmaster, garnering high ratings. In 2004, Donald Trump first appeared on the television series The Apprentice. The concept of the show was that 16 candidates competed for a one-year contract as an employee of the Trump Organization. Donald Trump was only supposed to begin each episode by explaining the task to be solved and end by announcing which candidate had been eliminated.
But he proved to be an amazingly talented host and the 20 million viewers were thrilled by his performance. Donald Trump did not follow detailed instructions, as is usually the case in such shows, but improvised from the beginning. His line „You’re fired“ was not planned, but came spontaneously.
The popularity of The Apprentice soon made him a sought-after guest on talk shows, where he also commented on political issues. In retrospect, the success of his show, of which he remained the star until 2015, is seen as a prerequisite for his chance to become president.
Donald Trump’s political career
Donald Trump began his political career in 1987 when he joined the Republican Party. He switched to the Independence Party in 1999 and to the Democratic Party in 2001. He returned to the Republican Party in 2009.
Donald Trump first appeared on the international political scene in 2011, when he flirted with the idea of running for the Republican presidential nomination. In June 2015, he finally announced his candidacy for the November 2016 presidential election. This made him the first major party candidate in the United States who had not previously held political office. The theme of his campaign was „Make America great again“. It focused on strengthening the economy and the middle class as well as US security.
45th President of the United States
When the votes were counted, Democrat Hillary Clinton led with 48.8% of the popular vote to Donald Trump’s 46.9%. Under America’s election system, a so-called Electoral College chooses a new president based on votes received. However, only 232 electors voted for Hillary Clinton, while Donald Trump received 306 votes. In the end, Donald Trump narrowly won and became the 45th President of the United States.
The decisive factor in the election was that Donald Trump, despite his flaunted wealth, numerous accusations of sexism, and outright lies, managed to stylize himself as the champion of the white underclass and evangelical Christians.
Donald Trump’s electoral success was called into question shortly after the presidential election. It was suspected that the new president had colluded with Russian intelligence to damage his rival, Hillary Clinton. The Russia affair is still unresolved.
Donald Trump’s presidency
During the election campaign, Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and that it would pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
On the domestic front, he pushed through a tax reform that would provide relief to American businesses.
Donald Trump also planned to build a wall on the border with Mexico to stop illegal immigration. He said that Mexicans were bringing drugs, crime and rapists into the country.
Donald Trump also announced that he would repeal the Obamacare healthcare reform. Obamacare was designed to provide affordable healthcare to all US citizens. To this end, he filed a lawsuit against the healthcare reform, which was dismissed.
Donald Trump’s presidency has further deepened the divisions in American society and the differences between Republicans and Democrats. This is one of the reasons why historians consider him one of the worst US presidents: in C-SPAN’s survey of presidential historians, he ranked 41st out of 44 presidents studied.
Donald Trump’s political crisis
Donald Trump’s biggest political crisis began in the fall of 2018, with Joe Biden’s candidacy for the 2020 presidential nomination.
This was followed by allegations that Donald Trump had urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in a phone call to give him an advantage in the presidential election. In essence, Donald Trump is said to have asked Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate allegations of corruption against his rival Joe Biden and his son. In September 2019, official impeachment proceedings were initiated against the current US president. They ended with his acquittal in January 2020.
In 2019, America’s economy was booming and Donald Trump was polling well. When the coronavirus pandemic began, not only did economic growth plummet, but so did his voter numbers. The coronavirus pandemic had a decisive impact on Donald Trump’s chances of being re-elected as US President.
On November 3, 2020, President Donald Trump ran for re-election. His opponent was Democrat Joe Biden. Already during the campaign, Donald Trump announced that he would not accept a possible defeat. Among other things, he accused the US Postal Service of manipulating the organization of absentee voting and falsifying election results. But despite polarizing speeches, accusations and exaggerations, the 2020 US election went to Democrat Joe Biden with a clear majority.
Donald Trump appealed the election results. However, this was considered legally meaningless.
On January 6, 2021, thirteen days before the inauguration of the new president, Donald Trump called for a protest march in front of the White House. Tens of thousands turned out for the Save America March.
On that day, Congress was supposed to officially ratify Joe Biden’s election victory. Instead, a large number of people violently stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. There were many injured, including 140 police officers. The FBI classified the attack as an act of domestic terrorism, while the political side called it an attempted coup. (Storming of the Capitol)
Donald Trump under indictment
More than 90 charges have been brought against the ex-president. However, he continues to portray himself as a victim of justice, which plays well with his supporters.
One of the most important proceedings will be to determine whether he can be held accountable for his actions during the storming of the Capitol, or whether he enjoys immunity.
The case is expected to end up before the Supreme Court of the United States because of its far-reaching implications. It would be the first time that the Supreme Court has considered whether ex-presidents enjoy immunity from federal prosecution. Much depends on this decision. For example, it will determine whether Donald Trump will be prosecuted for attempted election fraud. The outcome of the case will also be crucial for the election campaign.
Finally, the decision on immunity has far-reaching implications for future presidents. If they were indeed to enjoy immunity, they would be able to commit crimes while in office without having to fear the consequences of their actions.
To the German translation of the article: Donald John Trump – die Person hinter der Marke