Donald Trump

45th President of the United States

January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021^[3]

47th President of the United States

From January 20, 2025^[1]

Education

B.S. in Economics, Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania (1968)^[3]

Career before office

Businessman, real estate developer, and television personality^[3]

Television

Host of The Apprentice, 2004–2015^[1]

Presidential elections won

2016 (against Hillary Clinton); 2024 (against Kamala Harris)^[1]

Impeachments

2019 and 2021; acquitted by the Senate both times^[1]

Early career and business

Trump graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics.^[3]

In 1971 Trump became president of his family's real estate business, which he later renamed the Trump Organization.^[1] The White House says he made his mark running the business in New York City before expanding the Trump name around the world.^[2] In the 1990s and 2000s, his businesses went through six bankruptcies.^[1]

Television and public profile

Trump hosted the reality television show The Apprentice from 2004 to 2015.^[1] According to the White House, he has written more than fourteen bestselling books, the first of which was The Art of the Deal.^[2]

First presidency (2017–2021)

On November 8, 2016, Trump won the presidential election, defeating the Democratic Party nominee, Hillary Clinton.^[1][3] He was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017, and delivered an inaugural address.^[3][6]

0:11 President Donald Trump Inaugural Address FULL SPEECH (C-SPAN) C-SPAN's recording of the 2017 inauguration, from Chief Justice Roberts administering the oath of office, after the network's own opening announcement.

In his first term, Trump instituted a travel ban targeting seven Muslim-majority countries.^[1] He extended the Mexico–United States border barrier and put in place a family separation policy at the border.^[1] He withdrew the United States from climate and trade agreements and began a trade conflict with China.^[1] He signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, appointed three Supreme Court justices,^[1] and rolled back environmental and business regulations.^[1]

In 2020 Trump signed the bipartisan CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[1] According to Wikipedia, Trump downplayed the severity of COVID-19 and contradicted health officials during the pandemic.^[1]

The White House says that in his first administration Trump enacted tax cuts, replaced NAFTA with the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, confirmed more than 250 federal judges, among them three Supreme Court justices, devoted $2 trillion to rebuilding the military, established the Space Force, achieved energy independence, and approved bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform and Veterans Affairs reforms.^[2]

The House impeached Trump twice, in 2019 and in 2021, and the Senate acquitted him both times.^[1] He lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden^[1][3] and did not concede defeat.^[1] According to Wikipedia, he attempted to overturn the result, leading to the January 6 Capitol attack in 2021.^[1] His first term ended on January 20, 2021.^[1][3]

According to Wikipedia, following his first term, scholars and historians placed Trump among the lowest-ranked presidents in U.S. history.^[1]

Second presidency (2025– )

Trump won the 2024 presidential election, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris;^[1] the White House described his win as a landslide victory.^[2] On January 20, 2025, he was sworn in for a second term and gave his second inaugural address the same day in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.^[3][7]

0:51 President Donald Trump 2025 Inaugural Address FULL SPEECH C-SPAN's recording of the 2025 inaugural address, from "The golden age of America begins right now".

Trump's second presidency began with mass layoffs of federal employees.^[1] He imposed tariffs on almost every country, raising them to their highest level since the Great Depression.^[1]

16:07 An External Revenue Service for tariffs C-SPAN's recording of the 2025 inaugural address: Trump announces an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs.

In his second term Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.^[1] He ran a campaign in Latin America against suspected drug traffickers and directed a military operation into Venezuela aimed at capturing its president.^[1] He also approved joint U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran, which set off the 2026 Iran war.^[1] According to Wikipedia, the administration's actions (including the targeting of political opponents and civil society, restriction of transgender rights, and mass deportation of undocumented immigrants) have drawn more than 550 lawsuits challenging their legality.^[1]

Legal matters

In May 2024 a New York state court convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records;^[1] after he won the 2024 election, he was sentenced without a penalty.^[1] Two federal felony indictments against him, relating to the retention of classified documents and to obstruction of the 2020 election, were dismissed without prejudice.^[1]

Political influence and personal life

According to Wikipedia, the political outlook and leadership approach known as Trumpism have transformed the Republican Party's identity since 2015.^[1]

Wikipedia reports that Trump has promoted conspiracy theories during his political career.^[1]

Trump married Ivana Zelnickova in 1977 (divorced 1992), Marla Maples in 1993 (divorced 1999), and Melania Knauss in 2005.^[3]

Timeline

1. 1968 Graduated from the Wharton School of Finance with a B.S. in economics.^[3]
2. 1971 Became president of the family real estate business and renamed it the Trump Organization.^[1]
3. 2004 Began hosting The Apprentice, which ran until 2015.^[1]
4. 2016-11-08 Won the 2016 presidential election against Hillary Clinton.^[1][3]
5. 2017-01-20 Inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States.^[3][6]
6. 2020 According to Wikipedia contributors, he signed the bipartisan CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[1]
7. 2021-01-06 January 6 Capitol attack. According to Wikipedia, it followed Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election result, which he did not concede.^[1]
8. 2021-01-20 First presidential term ended.^[3]
9. 2024-11-05 According to Wikipedia contributors, he won the 2024 presidential election against Kamala Harris.^[1]
10. 2025-01-20 Sworn in as the 47th President of the United States and delivered his second inaugural address.^[3][7]