Donald Trump

45th President of the United States

January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021 (as of 2026-09-05)^[3]

47th President of the United States

From January 20, 2025 (as of 2026-09-05)^[1]

Education

B.S. in Economics, Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania (1968) (as of 2017-02-08)^[3]

Pre-presidency career

Businessman, real estate developer, and television personality (as of 2017-02-08)^[3]

Television

Host of The Apprentice, 2004–2015 (as of 2026-09-05)^[1]

Presidential elections won

2016 (against Hillary Clinton); 2024 (against Kamala Harris) (as of 2026-09-05)^[1]

Impeachments

2019 and 2021; acquitted by the Senate both times (as of 2026-09-05)^[1]

Early career and business

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

In 1971 he assumed the presidency of his family's real estate enterprise, later rebranding it as the Trump Organization.^[1]

According to the White House, Trump ran the family real estate business in New York City, making his mark there before expanding the Trump name globally.^[2]

Over the 1990s and 2000s, Trump entered into six business bankruptcies.^[1]

Television and public profile

Trump hosted the reality television show The Apprentice from 2004 to 2015.^[1]

According to the White House, Trump has written more than fourteen bestselling books, with his first book being The Art of the Deal.^[2]

First presidency (2017–2021)

On November 8, 2016, Trump secured the presidency by defeating Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.^[1][3]

On January 20, 2017, he was sworn in as the United States' 45th President and delivered an inaugural address.^[3][6]

0:00 President Donald Trump Inaugural Address FULL SPEECH (C-SPAN) C-SPAN's recording of the 2017 inaugural address, shown from the opening of the video.

During his initial presidency, Trump instituted a travel ban targeting seven Muslim-majority nations.^[1]

Throughout his first presidency, he extended the Mexico–United States border barrier and put in place a family separation policy at the border.^[1]

During his initial term, Trump pulled the United States out of climate and trade agreements and initiated a trade conflict with China.^[1]

He enacted the bipartisan CARES Act in 2020 as a 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]

Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act during his first presidency and appointed three Supreme Court justices.^[1]

The White House says that in Trump's first administration he enacted tax cuts, replaced NAFTA with the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, confirmed over 250 federal judges, among them 3 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]

Trump rolled back environmental and business regulations during his first presidency.^[1]

Trump was impeached twice by the House, in 2019 and in 2021, and was acquitted by the Senate both times.^[1]

Trump did not concede defeat after the 2020 election.^[1] According to Wikipedia, he attempted to overturn the result, leading to the January 6 Capitol attack in 2021.^[1]

Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, and his first presidential 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– )

According to Wikipedia contributors, Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to win the 2024 presidential election.^[1]

According to the White House, Trump won the 2024 election in what the White House described as a landslide victory.^[2]

On January 20, 2025, he was sworn in for a second term and gave his second inaugural address that same day at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.^[3][7]

0:00 President Donald Trump 2025 Inaugural Address FULL SPEECH C-SPAN's recording of the 2025 inaugural address, shown from the opening of the video.

Mass layoffs of federal employees marked the start of Trump's second presidency.^[1]

According to Wikipedia, Trump levied tariffs on almost every nation, reaching their peak since the Great Depression.^[1]

Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act during his second presidency.^[1]

Trump ran a Latin American campaign aimed at suspected drug traffickers and directed a military operation into Venezuela aimed at capturing its president.^[1]

Trump gave the go-ahead for 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

A New York state court convicted Trump in May 2024 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.^[1]

He was given a no-penalty sentence after his 2024 election win.^[1]

Two federal felony indictments against Trump—relating to classified-document retention and 2020 election obstruction—were thrown out without prejudice.^[1]

Political influence and personal

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]

According to the Miller Center, 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, 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, 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]