Donald Trump full name, age, spouse, career, parents, page handles, net worth

Donald John Trump, born on June 14, 1946, is an American businessman, media figure, and political leader currently serving as the 47th president of the United States. He previously held office as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021 and is affiliated with the Republican Party.

Raised in a wealthy family in New York City, Trump completed his studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, earning a degree in economics. In 1971, he took over his family’s real estate company, which he later rebranded as the Trump Organization.

Over the years, he expanded into real estate development, including high-rise buildings, casinos, hotels, and golf courses. Trump also pursued multiple business ventures—many of them licensing his name—and filed for six business bankruptcies during the 1990s and early 2000s.

He gained widespread fame by hosting the reality TV show The Apprentice from 2004 to 2015. Branding himself as a political outsider, Trump secured a victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton.

During his first administration, Trump introduced a travel restriction targeting seven predominantly Muslim nations, expanded the U.S.–Mexico border wall, and enforced a controversial family separation policy.

He reduced several environmental and corporate regulations, signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and appointed three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In foreign policy, he withdrew from key agreements including the Paris Climate Accord, the Iran nuclear deal, and various trade pacts. He also initiated a trade war with China. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump often downplayed the crisis, clashed with health authorities, and signed the CARES Act into law.

Following his loss in the 2020 election to Joe Biden, Trump sought to overturn the results, culminating in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. He was impeached twice—once in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and again in 2021 for inciting insurrection—but was acquitted by the Senate both times.

In 2023, Trump was found liable in civil court for sexual abuse, defamation, and business fraud. In 2024, he was convicted of falsifying business records, making him the first U.S. president with a felony conviction. Nevertheless, he defeated Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

He received a sentence without penalties, and two federal indictments—one regarding classified documents and another related to interference in the 2020 election—were dropped without prejudice. However, a racketeering case in Georgia remains ongoing.

As his second presidency commenced, Trump authorized mass layoffs across federal agencies. He enforced broad tariffs, affecting nearly all nations, including high levies on China, Canada, and Mexico, and passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

His administration’s policies—marked by mass deportations, widespread use of executive orders, and efforts to intimidate critics and institutions—have triggered more than 300 lawsuits. Many legal challenges have focused on his expansive view of presidential authority, sparking confrontations with the judiciary.

Since his entry into politics in 2015, Trump’s leadership—often labeled Trumpism—has significantly redefined the Republican Party’s values and direction. He has been widely criticized for making racist and misogynistic statements, spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, and undermining democratic norms.

Scholars have increasingly described his leadership style, particularly in his second term, as authoritarian and a factor in the erosion of American democracy. Historians frequently rank him among the least effective presidents in U.S. history.

Early Life and Background of Donald J. Trump

Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946, at Jamaica Hospital, located in the borough of Queens, New York City. He is the fourth child of Fred Trump, a real estate developer, and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, who emigrated from Scotland. Donald comes from a blended European background, with roots in both German and Scottish ancestry.

He spent his childhood in the affluent Jamaica Estates neighborhood of Queens, where he lived in a large home with his siblings—Maryanne, Fred Jr., Elizabeth, and his younger brother Robert.

Their father, Fred Trump, was financially generous, providing each child with approximately $20,000 annually. When adjusted for inflation, that amount would be worth around $265,000 per year in 2024. By the time he was just eight years old, Donald Trump had already accumulated wealth equivalent to that of a millionaire today.

Trump began his education at the private Kew-Forest School but was reportedly a challenging student. His energetic and often rebellious behavior led his father to enroll him at the New York Military Academy, a disciplined boarding school where he completed his secondary education. Though he briefly considered a career in entertainment, Trump opted to pursue higher education instead.

In 1964, he enrolled at Fordham University in the Bronx. After two years, he transferred to the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

There, he focused on economics and graduated in May 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree. During the Vietnam War era, Trump received a draft deferment due to a medical diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels.

Growing up, Trump identified two major influences in his life. The first was his father, who often encouraged him to think like a leader, using phrases like “You’re a king” and urging him to adopt a bold, competitive mindset.

The second was Reverend Norman Vincent Peale, the family’s pastor, whose teachings on self-confidence and positive thinking shaped Trump’s views on success and personal development.

Donald Trump’s Real Estate Career and Business Controversies

Donald Trump’s foray into real estate began in 1968 when he joined his father’s business, Trump Management. The company specialized in managing middle-income rental properties across New York City’s outer boroughs—many of which were criticized for racially discriminatory practices at the time.

In 1971, Fred Trump appointed his son as president of the company. Donald rebranded the business under the now-famous name “The Trump Organization,” which he used as an umbrella brand for future ventures.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Trump developed a close relationship with Roy Cohn, a powerful attorney who served as his legal adviser, mentor, and political fixer. In 1973, the U.S. government sued Trump Management for racial discrimination in housing.

Rather than settle quietly, Trump countersued the government for $100 million—a bold legal move that was ultimately dismissed. The case concluded with a consent decree that required the Trumps to desegregate their rental properties. However, they were later found in contempt of this agreement in 1977.

Trump gained a reputation early on for being aggressive in legal matters, often launching lawsuits regardless of the likelihood of success. By 2018, he had been involved in over 4,000 legal cases, including lawsuits, liens, and various disputes—many stemming from unpaid wages or contractual disagreements with employees, lawyers, and business partners.

Roy Cohn’s influence also helped Trump navigate New York’s rough real estate scene, often involving unions and political connections. Cohn introduced Trump to political strategist Roger Stone, who later assisted him in federal regulatory dealings.

Despite Trump’s grand image as a billionaire, several of his high-profile ventures failed financially. Between 1991 and 2009, six of his companies—including the Plaza Hotel and multiple Atlantic City casinos—filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In 1992, Trump and his siblings created a company called All County Building Supply & Maintenance Corp. Though it had no physical office, it was reportedly used to inflate vendor costs and transfer money among family members.

These markups were allegedly used to justify rent increases on stabilized units and reduce tax liabilities, effectively shifting wealth from Fred Trump to his children.

By 1994, the family also created another entity—Apartment Management Associates—to absorb management fees previously collected by Trump Management, continuing the complex financial strategies aimed at maximizing profits and minimizing taxes.

Major Real Estate Ventures in Manhattan and Chicago

Donald Trump made his first significant move in Manhattan real estate in 1978 by launching a high-profile renovation of the run-down Commodore Hotel, located next to Grand Central Terminal. The project marked a major turning point in his career.

With strong backing from his father, Fred Trump, he secured a substantial $400 million property tax abatement from the city. Additionally, Fred Trump and hotel chain Hyatt co-guaranteed a $70 million construction loan to finance the transformation.

After the extensive refurbishment, the hotel reopened in 1980 as the Grand Hyatt Hotel, marking Trump’s rise in the Manhattan property scene.

That same year, Trump began another ambitious project—Trump Tower, a luxury mixed-use skyscraper situated on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. This iconic building would go on to house the Trump Organization’s headquarters, serve as a base for his political action committee, and act as his personal residence until 2019.

In 1988, Trump purchased the historic Plaza Hotel, financing the acquisition with a loan package from 16 different banks. However, the property encountered financial difficulties, and in 1992 it filed for bankruptcy protection. A month later, the banks involved took control of the hotel through a reorganization plan.

By 1995, Trump’s financial empire was under serious strain. He defaulted on more than $3 billion in bank loans. In what was described as a massive and humbling restructuring, Trump was forced to give up control of the Plaza Hotel and several other assets to avoid filing for personal bankruptcy.

The banks agreed to the restructuring deal, with one attorney famously stating that lenders concluded he was “more valuable alive than dead.”

In 1996, Trump acquired the largely vacant 71-story skyscraper at 40 Wall Street and revitalized it, renaming it the Trump Building. Earlier, in the 1990s, he had won development rights to a massive 70-acre property in the Lincoln Square area near the Hudson River.

However, facing mounting debts, Trump sold most of his stake in the Riverside South project to a group of Asian investors who funded its completion.

Trump’s final major construction effort came with the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, a 92-story mixed-use development that opened in 2008.

Years later, in 2024, reports from The New York Times and ProPublica revealed that the IRS had launched an investigation into whether Trump had improperly claimed tax deductions for losses related to this project—potentially writing off construction overruns and unsold units as “worthless” on his 2008 tax return.

Trump’s Casino Ventures in Atlantic City

Donald Trump entered the Atlantic City casino industry in 1984 with the launch of his first major gambling venue—Harrah’s at Trump Plaza. The project was a joint effort, financed and managed in part by Holiday Corporation. However, the casino failed to meet profit expectations, leading Trump to buy out Holiday’s stake in 1986 for $70 million, thereby assuming full control.

In 1985, Trump expanded his casino interests by acquiring an uncompleted property initially intended to be the Atlantic City Hilton. He rebranded it as Trump Castle. Unfortunately, both Trump Plaza and Trump Castle struggled financially and were forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1992.

A year earlier, in 1991, Trump had already faced bankruptcy proceedings with his third and most ambitious Atlantic City casino, the Trump Taj Mahal. Purchased in 1988 and financed through $675 million in high-risk junk bonds, the Taj Mahal opened in April 1990 at a staggering final cost of $1.1 billion.

The venture quickly ran into financial trouble. Trump relinquished half his ownership stake during a restructuring process and personally guaranteed future performance to keep the business afloat.

In order to reduce his personal debt—estimated at around $900 million—Trump sold off several assets, including the Trump Shuttle airline, his luxury yacht Trump Princess (which had been docked and leased to his casinos), and other non-core businesses.

In 1995, he established Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR), which took over ownership of Trump Plaza. The company later acquired both the Trump Castle and the Taj Mahal in 1996. However, THCR declared bankruptcy twice, first in 2004 and again in 2009. Trump’s stake in the company dwindled to just 10 percent by the end, although he remained its chairman until 2009.

Trump’s Golf Clubs and Mar-a-Lago

Trump’s luxury lifestyle branding extended beyond casinos. In 1985, he purchased the iconic Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. A decade later, in 1995, he transformed the property into a private members-only club, complete with a hefty initiation fee and annual dues.

Despite turning it into a club, Trump retained part of the estate as his private residence and officially designated Mar-a-Lago as his primary home in 2019.

By 1999, Trump had shifted part of his real estate focus to golf, beginning to build and acquire golf courses around the world. By 2016, he had amassed ownership of 17 golf properties globally, many of which became central to his brand and lifestyle image.

Branding Through Name Licensing

The Trump Organization capitalized heavily on Donald Trump’s name, licensing it for a wide range of products and services. These included items like food, clothing, educational programs, and furniture. Over the years, the Trump brand was involved in more than 50 licensing or management agreements, which generated at least $59 million in revenue.

However, by 2018, only two consumer goods companies were still licensing his name. During the 2000s, Trump’s name was also licensed to dozens of real estate projects around the world. Notably, around 40 of these residential developments were never completed, often due to funding or planning issues, though the Trump name remained a central marketing tool in each case.

Donald Trump’s Side Ventures

Donald Trump’s business interests have extended far beyond real estate. In 1970, he invested $70,000 to gain co-producer credits on a Broadway comedy. By September 1983, Trump expanded into sports, purchasing the New Jersey Generals, a team in the United States Football League (USFL).

However, the league folded after the 1985 season, largely due to Trump’s controversial attempts to move the schedule to fall, directly competing with the NFL, and his effort to force a merger through an antitrust lawsuit.

In addition to football, Trump hosted several boxing matches at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall through his ownership of the Plaza Hotel. In 1989 and 1990, he lent his name to the Tour de Trump, a professional cycling stage race aimed at creating a U.S. counterpart to prestigious European tours like the Tour de France.

Between 1986 and 1988, Trump also bought significant shares in various publicly traded companies, appearing to pursue hostile takeovers and profiting from selling the stock, a practice sometimes described as greenmail.

While initially profitable, The New York Times noted that Trump eventually lost much of these gains as investors grew wary of his takeover tactics.

In 1988, Trump bought the Eastern Air Lines Shuttle, financing the acquisition with $380 million in loans from a group of 22 banks. He rebranded it as the Trump Shuttle, but after defaulting on loans in 1991, ownership passed to the lenders.

Trump’s entertainment ventures included acquiring the Miss Universe Organization in 1996, which encompassed Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants. Due to disputes with CBS over broadcast schedules, he moved the pageants to NBC in 2002.

In 2007, Trump received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as producer of Miss Universe. However, NBC and Univision cut ties with the pageants in 2015, following Trump’s controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants.

In 2005, Trump co-founded Trump University, offering expensive real estate seminars. When New York State officials warned that the use of “university” was misleading, it was renamed the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative in 2010.

In 2013, New York filed a $40 million lawsuit alleging fraud and deceptive practices, alongside federal class-action lawsuits. Internal documents and former employees described aggressive sales tactics and false promises to students. After winning the 2016 presidential election, Trump agreed to a $25 million settlement to resolve the legal disputes.

The Donald J. Trump Foundation

Established in 1988, the Donald J. Trump Foundation was a private charitable organization. Between 1987 and 2006, Trump donated $5.4 million to the foundation, which was largely spent by 2006.

After 2008, Trump stopped personal contributions, though the foundation continued receiving millions from other donors, including $5 million from WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

The foundation donated to a variety of causes, including health and sports charities, conservative political groups, and organizations hosting events at Trump-owned properties.

However, in 2016, investigations by The Washington Post and the New York Attorney General uncovered several alleged legal violations, including misuse of funds and failure to comply with required audits.

Following these reports, the foundation was ordered to halt fundraising in New York and ultimately announced plans to dissolve in December 2016. A civil lawsuit was filed in June 2018 seeking $2.8 million in restitution and penalties.

The foundation ceased operations in December 2018, distributing remaining assets to other charities. In 2019, a judge ordered Trump to pay $2 million for misappropriating foundation funds, some of which were used to finance his presidential campaign.

Legal Challenges and Bankruptcies

A 2018 review by USA Today found that Donald Trump and his businesses had been involved in over 4,000 legal actions in both state and federal courts. Although Trump has never personally filed for bankruptcy, six of his hotel and casino businesses declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy between 1991 and 2009.

These bankruptcies allowed the businesses to continue operating while restructuring debt and reducing Trump’s ownership stakes.

During the 1980s, Trump borrowed approximately $4 billion from more than 70 banks. After the bankruptcies of the early 1990s, most major banks, except Deutsche Bank, became reluctant to lend to him. Following the January 6 Capitol attack in 2021, Deutsche Bank announced it would cease all business dealings with Trump and his affiliated companies.

Donald Trump’s Wealth and Financial Background

Donald Trump has famously stated that he began his business career with “a small loan of a million dollars” from his father. However, financial records indicate that he actually borrowed at least $60 million from his father’s wealth, much of which was never repaid.

Additionally, Trump received around $413 million (adjusted to 2018 dollars) from his father’s real estate empire, providing a significant financial foundation for his ventures.

In an effort to influence his public image, Trump once posed as a Trump Organization executive under the pseudonym “John Barron” in a 1984 phone call to a journalist, attempting to secure a higher ranking on the Forbes 400 list of America’s wealthiest individuals.

Throughout his career, Trump has reported varying net worth figures, ranging from a reported debt of $900 million in 1990 to a self-claimed fortune of $10 billion in 2015.

Independent estimates have painted a more measured picture. In 2015, Forbes assessed Trump’s net worth at approximately $4.5 billion, based on extensive interviews and financial analysis. By 2025, Forbes estimated his wealth at about $5.1 billion, placing him as the 700th richest person globally.

Trump’s Media and Publishing Career

Donald Trump has authored or lent his name to 19 books, most of which were written or co-written by ghostwriters. His debut book, The Art of the Deal (1987), became a New York Times bestseller and played a crucial role in cementing his image as a symbol of business success. The book was ghostwritten by Tony Schwartz, who remains credited as coauthor.

In addition to publishing, Trump appeared in numerous films and television shows between 1985 and 2001. His political style has been compared to professional wrestling, characterized by theatrical confrontations and bold rhetoric. Trump appeared sporadically with WWE, including a prominent role at WrestleMania 23 in 2007.

From the 1990s onward, Trump was a frequent guest on the nationally syndicated Howard Stern Show, making 24 appearances. He also hosted a short-lived radio show, Trumped!, from 2004 to 2008 and served as a guest commentator on Fox & Friends between 2011 and 2015.

In 2021, Trump resigned from the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), where he had been a member since 1989, to avoid disciplinary action related to the January 6 Capitol events. Shortly after, the union permanently barred him from membership.

The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice

Trump’s major breakthrough as a television personality came when producer Mark Burnett created The Apprentice in 2004. Trump hosted the reality competition show, where he portrayed a wealthy and decisive business executive who eliminated contestants with the catchphrase “You’re fired.” This portrayal was described by The New York Times as a “highly flattering, highly fictionalized” version of Trump himself.

The success of The Apprentice and its spin-off, The Celebrity Apprentice, significantly enhanced Trump’s public profile and earned him over $400 million through salary and licensing deals. The show helped shape his image as a commanding businessman to millions of viewers across the United States.

Donald Trump’s Early Political Ambitions and Party Affiliations

Donald Trump’s political affiliations have shifted multiple times over the years. He first registered as a Republican in 1987, then switched to the Independence Party, New York’s affiliate of the Reform Party, in 1999.

By 2001, he was registered as a Democrat, before returning to the Republican Party in 2009. In 2011, he became unaffiliated for a brief period, only to rejoin the Republicans again in 2012.

Trump made his initial political intentions public in 1987 by placing full-page advertisements in several major newspapers. These ads outlined his perspectives on key issues such as foreign policy and strategies to eliminate the federal budget deficit, signaling his interest in national governance.

In 1988, Trump took a bold step by approaching Lee Atwater, a top strategist for then-Republican presidential nominee George H. W. Bush, with the suggestion that he should be considered as Bush’s vice-presidential running mate. The proposal was met with skepticism; Bush reportedly described the request as “strange and unbelievable.”

Trump’s first formal attempt at a presidential run came in 2000 when he briefly sought the Reform Party’s nomination. He entered the primary race but withdrew after about three months in February 2000, ending his initial campaign bid.

Several years later, in 2011, Trump publicly contemplated challenging incumbent President Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election. He appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February of that year and delivered speeches in several key early primary states, gauging support. Despite the growing speculation, Trump announced in May 2011 that he would not enter the race.

These early political maneuvers laid the groundwork for Trump’s eventual presidential campaign later in the decade, demonstrating his longstanding interest in national politics and willingness to shift party loyalties.

Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential Campaign and Election Victory

Donald Trump officially announced his candidacy for the 2016 U.S. presidential election in June 2015. Campaigning as a wealthy, successful businessman and political outsider, Trump positioned himself as a candidate who would shake up the established political order.

Throughout his campaign, he frequently alleged media bias against him and was known for making statements that were often ambiguous or misleading, with numerous fact-checkers identifying a significant number of false claims.

By March 2016, Trump emerged as the front-runner for the Republican nomination, and by May, he was declared the presumptive Republican nominee. His campaign platform included several controversial and distinctive policy positions.

He criticized NATO as outdated and promoted a noninterventionist yet protectionist approach to foreign policy. Central to his platform were promises to renegotiate major trade agreements like NAFTA and improve U.S.-China relations, along with a hardline stance on immigration, including stronger enforcement and building a border wall with Mexico, which he insisted Mexico would finance.

Other notable positions included pursuing energy independence while opposing many climate regulations, reforming veterans’ services, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, abolishing Common Core educational standards, simplifying the tax code, and imposing tariffs on companies that outsourced jobs.

He also pledged to increase military spending and advocated for stringent vetting or outright bans on immigrants from Muslim-majority countries.

Trump’s campaign rhetoric was frequently criticized for being racially and ethnically charged. His 2015 announcement speech, which labeled Mexican immigrants with harsh stereotypes, drew widespread condemnation and led to his firing from the television show Celebrity Apprentice.

Financial disclosures during the campaign reported Trump’s assets exceeding $1.4 billion with debts over $315 million. Unlike most presidential candidates since 1976, he refused to release his tax returns, citing ongoing audits and legal advice against disclosure.

After a prolonged legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed prosecutors to access his tax records in 2021 for a criminal investigation. In 2016, leaked documents revealed that Trump declared a $916 million loss in 1995, potentially enabling him to avoid federal income taxes for many years.

On Election Day, Trump secured 306 pledged electoral votes against Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 232. After some elector defections, the official final tally was 304 to 227. Trump became the fifth U.S. president to win the presidency while losing the popular vote, receiving nearly 2.9 million fewer votes than Clinton.

Notably, he was the first president in American history to have never served in the military or held public office before his election. His victory returned full control of the executive and legislative branches to the Republican Party, a development that sparked widespread protests in major cities across the country.

Early Actions of Donald Trump’s First Presidency

Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017. His first day in office was met with significant public protest; the Women’s Marches held worldwide, including a major gathering in Washington, D.C., attracted an estimated 2.6 million participants opposing his presidency.

Within his first week, Trump signed six executive orders focusing on rolling back key policies from the previous administration. These included efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (commonly called Obamacare), withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, advance the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline projects, and initiate plans to construct a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Conflicts of Interest During the Trump Administration

Before taking office, Trump transferred his business holdings into a revocable trust rather than a blind trust, a move that did not fully separate him from his financial interests.

As president, he continued to profit from his businesses and remained aware of how his administration’s policies impacted those interests. The Trump Organization expanded operations internationally, including new ventures in Scotland, Dubai, and the Dominican Republic.

His properties benefited from patronage by lobbyists, foreign governments, and political allies, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars flowing into his hotels and resorts.

Trump faced multiple lawsuits alleging violations of the Domestic and Foreign Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibit presidents from receiving gifts or payments from foreign or state governments without congressional approval. While some cases were dismissed in lower courts, others were dismissed as moot by the Supreme Court after his term ended.

Throughout his presidency, Trump pledged to donate his presidential salary and profits from foreign government patronage to federal agencies. Though he publicized these donations until mid-2020, later reports found that federal agencies had not received contributions after July 2020. By 2024, watchdog groups reported that only a fraction of the expected donations had been made.

Domestic Policy and Economic Impact

Trump assumed office during the longest economic expansion in U.S. history, which began in 2009 and lasted until the COVID-19 recession started in early 2020. One of his signature legislative achievements was the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which lowered corporate and individual tax rates and eliminated the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty.

The administration claimed these tax cuts would not reduce government revenue, but 2018 federal revenues fell 7.6% short of projections. Meanwhile, the federal budget deficit grew by nearly 50%, approaching $1 trillion by 2019.

By the end of Trump’s term, the national debt had risen 39%, reaching $27.75 trillion, with the debt-to-GDP ratio at its highest level since World War II. Despite campaign promises, the administration did not enact the proposed $1 trillion infrastructure spending plan.

Trump’s presidency saw a reduction in the federal workforce by about three million jobs, making him the only modern U.S. president to leave office with fewer federal employees than at inauguration.

He openly rejected the scientific consensus on climate change, cutting renewable energy research budgets by 40% and reversing many environmental regulations from the Obama era. Notably, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, leaving America as the sole country to not participate.

He prioritized increasing fossil fuel production and exports, even as coal production continued to decline. His administration rolled back over 100 environmental regulations, including those addressing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, while expanding drilling rights in sensitive areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Trump’s administration also dismantled regulations in areas such as healthcare, labor protections, and gun control. Early in his presidency, he delayed or reversed about ninety federal regulations, frequently following requests from industry stakeholders. Courts blocked or overturned many of these rollbacks.

On healthcare, Trump sought to undermine the Affordable Care Act by halving enrollment periods and cutting outreach funding, hoping to encourage its failure.

His administration joined Republican-led states in a 2018 Supreme Court challenge that sought to invalidate the ACA after removal of its individual mandate penalty. Although the case would have jeopardized coverage for millions, it ultimately failed.

Regarding social policies, Trump initially promised to protect programs like Medicare but later expressed openness to funding cuts. He signed legislation increasing funding to combat the opioid crisis but was widely criticized for lacking a comprehensive plan.

He barred federal funding to organizations that provide abortions or abortion referrals, opposed federal protections for LGBTQ individuals, and rolled back Obama-era anti-discrimination policies. Trump’s administration attempted to rescind transgender protections, but federal courts blocked these efforts following landmark Supreme Court rulings.

Trump’s stance on gun control fluctuated, but his administration loosened restrictions on gun purchases for mentally ill individuals. He also reversed Obama-era protections for states legalizing marijuana. Additionally, Trump was a strong proponent of capital punishment, overseeing 13 federal executions—more than had occurred in the previous five decades combined.

Race Relations During Trump’s Presidency

Donald Trump’s statements and actions regarding race relations sparked widespread controversy and accusations of racism throughout his time in office. After the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump condemned the violence but controversially claimed there were “very fine people on both sides,” a remark that many critics argued equated white supremacist demonstrators with their counter-protesters. This statement drew intense backlash for seemingly downplaying the threat of white nationalism.

In early 2018, Trump reportedly referred to nations including El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and various African countries as “shithole countries” during discussions on immigration reform. These comments were widely denounced as racist by lawmakers and international observers alike.

Further escalating tensions, in July 2019, Trump tweeted that four Democratic congresswomen of color—three of whom were born in the United States—should “go back” to the countries they “came from.” The House of Representatives overwhelmingly condemned the tweets as racist in a largely party-line vote. Despite condemnation from many quarters, white nationalist groups praised Trump’s remarks, and he continued making similar statements during his 2020 presidential campaign.

The summer of 2020 saw major protests following the killing of George Floyd by police officers. When peaceful demonstrators gathered near the White House in Lafayette Square, federal law enforcement deployed tear gas and other crowd control tactics to clear the area.

Trump then walked to St. John’s Episcopal Church for a photo opportunity holding a Bible. Religious leaders criticized both the aggressive treatment of protesters and Trump’s use of the church for political purposes.

Additionally, numerous retired military officials condemned Trump’s suggestion to deploy the U.S. military against protesters advocating against police brutality, warning it risked undermining democratic norms.

Pardons and Commutations Under Trump

During his four years in office, Trump granted a total of 237 acts of clemency—pardons and commutations combined—a figure lower than most modern presidents except for George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. Notably, only about 25 of these were reviewed through the Justice Department’s traditional pardon vetting process.

The majority of pardons went to individuals with personal or political ties to Trump, his family, or close allies, as well as recommendations from celebrities and influencers.

On his final full day as president, Trump issued an unprecedented 73 pardons and commuted 70 sentences. Some of these clemencies were controversial, including those granted to military personnel convicted or accused of violent offenses, which faced opposition from senior military leaders.

Several of Trump’s allies were ineligible for pardons under existing Justice Department guidelines, and in certain cases, the department itself advised against granting clemency, but Trump’s prerogative prevailed.

Immigration Policies Under the Trump Administration

Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump characterized illegal immigration as an “invasion” threatening the United States and significantly intensified immigration enforcement measures.

His administration adopted a strict approach toward asylum seekers and unauthorized border crossings, including the deployment of nearly 6,000 troops to the U.S.–Mexico border to curb illegal entry.

Trump sharply lowered the annual refugee admission cap, reducing it from 110,000 before his tenure to a historic low of 15,000 by 2021. Additionally, his administration imposed tighter restrictions on granting permanent residency to immigrants deemed likely to require public assistance, reflecting a policy shift aimed at limiting immigration benefits.

A cornerstone of Trump’s campaign was the promise to construct a wall along the southern border. During his first term, approximately 73 miles of new border wall were built in areas that previously lacked barriers, alongside 365 miles of replacement fencing for older structures.

Funding for the wall became a major political battleground, culminating in a 35-day federal government shutdown from December 2018 to January 2019 after Trump refused to approve any spending bill that did not allocate money for the wall.

The shutdown ended without wall funding included, but shortly afterward, Congress approved $1.4 billion for border fencing. To further secure funding, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, redirecting $6.1 billion in government funds toward wall construction despite opposition from Congress.

In January 2017, Trump signed an executive order banning entry for citizens from six Muslim-majority countries for four months and indefinitely suspending entry from Syria.

This order faced widespread protests and legal challenges that resulted in nationwide injunctions. Revised versions of the ban were also blocked by courts; however, the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately allowed enforcement of the travel restrictions on individuals lacking a “bona fide relationship” with someone or an entity in the U.S.

The administration later extended travel bans to include North Korea, Chad, and some Venezuelan officials, but excluded Iraq and Sudan. The Supreme Court upheld this broader ban in 2019.

One of the most controversial policies was the “zero tolerance” family separation policy implemented between 2017 and 2018, which led to the separation of over 4,400 children from their parents at the border—a practice unprecedented in scale and widely condemned by the public and international observers.

Although Trump initially deflected responsibility, blaming Democrats and stating he lacked the authority to end the separations by executive order, mounting public outcry forced him to reverse course in June 2018.

He ordered that families be detained together unless there was a specific risk to the child’s safety. Subsequently, a federal judge mandated the reunification of separated families and prohibited further separations except in limited cases, though thousands more children were separated after the court’s order.

Foreign Policy Under Donald Trump

Donald Trump defined his foreign policy stance with the slogan “America First,” embracing a nationalist and populist approach that often supported neo-nationalist and authoritarian regimes.

His tenure was marked by unpredictability and frequent shifts in diplomatic tone, which led to strained relations with traditional U.S. allies, especially in Europe. Trump openly criticized NATO member countries for not meeting defense spending commitments and even privately suggested that the United States might consider withdrawing from the alliance, causing concern among European leaders.

Trump was a strong supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies. A highlight of his foreign policy achievements was hosting the 2020 Abraham Accords signing ceremony, which successfully brokered agreements normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Bahrain—historic breakthroughs in Middle Eastern diplomacy.

One of Trump’s signature foreign policy moves was initiating a trade war with China in 2018. He imposed tariffs and trade barriers with the aim of pressuring China to end practices he viewed as unfair, including intellectual property theft.

On Russia, Trump often praised President Vladimir Putin and faced criticism for not more strongly condemning Russian actions, although he did oppose some Russian government policies. His administration withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, citing Russian violations, and supported the idea of Russia rejoining the G7 summit group.

Trump made unprecedented diplomatic overtures toward North Korea, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

They held summits in Singapore (2018), Hanoi (2019), and at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (2019). Despite these historic meetings, efforts to reach a denuclearization agreement ultimately failed, with talks breaking down by late 2019.

Personnel Turnover During Trump’s Presidency

Trump’s administration experienced a notably high turnover rate. Within his first year, approximately one-third of his original staff had either resigned, been dismissed, or reassigned.

By mid-2018, more than 60 percent of his senior aides had left, with a record 141 staff departures in just one year. Many close aides either quit or were pushed out amid internal conflicts. Trump publicly criticized several former top officials following their departures.

The White House saw four chiefs of staff during Trump’s term, reflecting ongoing management challenges. Notably, FBI Director James Comey was fired in 2017 amid the investigation into Trump’s connections with Russia.

Several cabinet members also left or were forced out within the first year. Trump was slow to fill many secondary executive branch positions, at one point leaving hundreds of key roles vacant, which was unusual compared to previous administrations.

Judicial Appointments and Impact

Trump appointed an unprecedented number of federal judges—226 in total—including 54 appellate judges and three Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

These appointments shifted the Supreme Court significantly to the right, fulfilling Trump’s campaign promise to appoint conservative judges. During his campaign, he pledged to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion rights decision, a promise realized when the Court overturned it in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, with all three Trump-appointed justices joining the majority.

Throughout his presidency, Trump frequently criticized courts and judges whose decisions he disagreed with, often using personal attacks and questioning judicial legitimacy.

His aggressive rhetoric towards the judiciary sparked concern among legal experts and sitting judges about the potential erosion of judicial independence and public confidence in the court system.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump was widely criticized for initially downplaying the severity of the virus and ignoring early warnings from public health officials.

Despite early signs of a looming health crisis, his administration’s response was slow and inconsistent. The White House Coronavirus Task Force was established on January 29, 2020, to coordinate efforts against the outbreak.

In late March, Trump signed the CARES Act into law, a landmark $2.2 trillion stimulus package designed to provide economic relief during the pandemic, marking the largest stimulus effort in U.S. history.

However, amid growing criticism over his handling of the crisis, Trump announced a suspension of funding to the World Health Organization in April 2020, accusing the agency of mismanaging the pandemic response.

Throughout the spring, Republican-aligned groups organized protests against lockdown measures imposed by various states, which Trump publicly supported via social media, even though many of those states had not yet met federal reopening guidelines.

Trump frequently pressured health agencies to approve treatments lacking scientific validation, at times promoting unproven drugs.

In October 2020, Trump himself contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized for three days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His illness brought renewed attention to the virus and highlighted ongoing controversies surrounding his administration’s pandemic policies.

Investigations and Legal Scrutiny

Donald Trump’s presidency was marked by a high volume of legal investigations spanning federal, state, and congressional levels. These probes covered a wide range of issues including his 2016 presidential campaign, transition activities, personal and business finances, and his charitable foundation.

One of the most prominent investigations was the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” probe, initiated in July 2016 to explore potential connections between Russia and Trump’s campaign.

After firing FBI Director James Comey in 2017, a subsequent inquiry into Trump’s personal dealings with Russia was launched. U.S. intelligence agencies later publicly affirmed that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election with the intent to help Trump win.

The FBI’s investigation evolved into the special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller, tasked with examining any criminal activity related to Russia’s interference.

The Mueller report, released in March 2019, confirmed Russian interference and that the Trump campaign welcomed the assistance but did not find sufficient evidence to charge campaign members with conspiracy.

The report also outlined multiple instances of possible obstruction of justice by Trump but stopped short of making prosecutorial recommendations, deferring that decision to Congress.

In 2019, congressional committees subpoenaed Trump’s financial records from banks including Deutsche Bank and Capital One, as well as his accounting firm Mazars USA.

Trump challenged these subpoenas through legal action, but courts ruled against him, ordering compliance. By late 2022, a settlement led to Mazars beginning to turn over requested documents.

Impeachments

Donald Trump was impeached twice by the House of Representatives during his presidency, though the Senate acquitted him both times. The first impeachment stemmed from a whistleblower complaint in 2019 that Trump had pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

This was seen as an attempt to influence the 2020 presidential election. In December 2019, the House impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. However, in February 2020, the Senate voted to acquit him, allowing him to remain in office.

The second impeachment occurred after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Trump seeking to overturn the 2020 election results. The House charged Trump with incitement of insurrection on January 13, 2021.

Although Trump had left office by the time the Senate trial occurred, he was acquitted again on February 13, 2021. Notably, seven Republican senators joined Democrats in voting to convict him, marking a historic bipartisan division.

2020 Presidential Election and Aftermath

Trump officially launched his bid for reelection just hours after his inauguration in 2017 and held his first campaign rally within the first month of his presidency. He secured the Republican nomination in August 2020.

His campaign emphasized law and order, warning that cities would become unsafe if Democratic nominee Joe Biden were elected. Throughout the campaign, Trump frequently mischaracterized Biden’s policies and used racially charged rhetoric to energize his base.

From early 2020, Trump repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the upcoming election, falsely claiming it would be rigged due to widespread mail-in voting amid the pandemic.

He also sought to restrict funding to the U.S. Postal Service, arguing this was necessary to prevent voter fraud. Trump refused multiple times to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost the election.

When Joe Biden won the November 2020 election, garnering over 81 million votes and 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 74 million votes and 232 electoral votes, Trump prematurely declared victory on election night.

After projections confirmed Biden’s win, Trump baselessly alleged widespread fraud. His campaign and allies filed dozens of lawsuits challenging the results, but over 80 judges across state and federal courts dismissed these cases for lack of evidence.

State election officials, both Republican and Democrat, affirmed the legitimacy of the results, and the Supreme Court declined to intervene in challenges seeking to overturn key state outcomes.

Trump also pressured state officials, legislators, and Vice President Mike Pence to intervene in the certification process, requesting actions such as replacing electors or “finding” votes favorable to him, efforts that were ultimately unsuccessful.

In the weeks following the election, Trump reduced his public appearances and initially blocked federal agencies from cooperating with Biden’s transition team.

Eventually, the General Services Administration recognized Biden as the “apparent winner,” allowing the formal transition to proceed, though Trump never formally conceded. He notably did not attend Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021.

January 6 Capitol Attack

In the lead-up to January 6, 2021, U.S. military leaders were reportedly on high alert amid concerns about potential extreme actions by President Trump. Intelligence officials like CIA Director Gina Haspel and General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, worried that Trump might take drastic measures, including a possible coup attempt or unauthorized military strikes. Milley demanded that he be consulted on any military orders from Trump, especially regarding the use of nuclear weapons, to prevent unilateral action.

On January 6, as Congress convened to certify the 2020 presidential election results, Trump held a rally near the White House at the Ellipse. From behind a glass barrier, he urged his supporters to “fight like hell” and march to the Capitol to challenge the election outcome.

His rhetoric mobilized a crowd that soon stormed the Capitol building, forcibly entering and disrupting the certification process. Lawmakers and staff were evacuated amid chaos.

During the attack, Trump posted on social media but did not explicitly call for the mob to disperse. Later that evening, he tweeted a message telling the rioters to “go home with love & in peace” while calling them “great patriots” and reiterating his false claims of victory.

Despite the violence and disruption, Congress reconvened in the early hours of January 7 and formally confirmed Joe Biden’s election win.

The riot resulted in over 140 law enforcement officers being injured and five fatalities related to the events. This assault on the Capitol has been widely described as an attempted self-coup, highlighting an unprecedented challenge to American democratic norms.

Between Presidencies (2021–2025)

After leaving office, Donald Trump took up residence at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he set up an office as entitled by the Former Presidents Act.

Throughout this period, Trump persistently promoted unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen—a narrative often labeled the “big lie” by critics. By mid-2021, Trump and many of his supporters began to use the phrase “big lie” to refer ironically to the election itself.

The Republican Party leveraged Trump’s election fraud claims to advocate for stricter voting laws favoring their electoral prospects. Even in 2022, Trump continued pressuring state officials to overturn election results.

Unlike previous former presidents who step back from direct political influence, Trump maintained a dominant role within the Republican Party, acting as a modern-day party boss.

He raised substantial funds, exceeding the Republican Party’s coffers, and hosted fundraisers for numerous GOP candidates at Mar-a-Lago. He focused heavily on shaping party leadership and endorsing over 200 candidates during the 2022 midterms.

In 2021, Trump launched a new media venture, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), aimed at offering “social networking services” in the U.S. In February 2022, TMTG debuted Truth Social, a social media platform designed to rival mainstream outlets. By March 2024, TMTG had merged with a special-purpose acquisition company, becoming publicly traded.

Legal Issues

Donald Trump has faced numerous significant legal challenges in recent years across civil and criminal matters:

E. Jean Carroll Lawsuits:
In 2019, journalist E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s. Trump denied the allegation, prompting Carroll to sue him for defamation. In 2022, Carroll filed a second lawsuit adding claims of battery and further defamation. Trump was found liable in both cases, resulting in financial penalties: $5 million in one case and $83.3 million in the other.

New York Civil Fraud Lawsuit:
In 2022, the New York Attorney General filed a civil suit against Trump alleging that he and the Trump Organization systematically inflated property values to obtain favorable loans and insurance terms. Trump was found liable and ordered to pay $350 million plus interest as damages.

January 6 and Election-Related Charges:
Following investigations into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in the January 6 Capitol attack, a U.S. House committee in December 2022 recommended criminal charges against him, including obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and incitement of insurrection.
Separately, in August 2023, a Fulton County grand jury in Georgia indicted Trump on 13 charges, including racketeering, related to attempts to subvert the 2020 election results in that state.

Classified Documents Investigation:
After leaving office, Trump took classified documents to his Mar-a-Lago estate. In January 2022, the National Archives recovered 15 boxes of documents, some marked classified. The Justice Department investigation led to an FBI search of Mar-a-Lago in August 2022, where agents seized 11 sets of classified documents, some marked top secret.
In June 2023, Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump on 31 counts of willfully retaining national defense information under the Espionage Act and other charges. Trump pleaded not guilty. However, in July 2024, a federal judge dismissed the case, ruling that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional.

Falsifying Business Records Conviction:
In May 2024, Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records tied to hush-money payments made by his former lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign, which Trump tried to conceal as business expenses. Despite the convictions, on January 10, 2025, Trump received an unconditional discharge—meaning no punitive sentence was imposed—due to concerns that punishment would interfere with presidential immunity.

Dismissals Related to Reelection:
After Trump’s reelection in 2024, the Justice Department dismissed without prejudice the ongoing cases concerning election obstruction and classified documents, following its policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.

2024 Presidential Election

In November 2022, Donald Trump officially announced his candidacy for the 2024 U.S. presidential election and quickly set up a fundraising account to support his campaign.

By March 2023, his campaign began diverting 10% of all donations to his leadership PAC, a move that drew scrutiny. By March 2024, Trump’s campaign had spent approximately $100 million on his ongoing legal defense fees.

Throughout the campaign, Trump’s rhetoric became increasingly aggressive and authoritarian. He publicly stated intentions to use federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI and the Justice Department as political tools against his opponents.

Furthermore, he hinted at employing the military to target Democratic politicians and critics of his campaign, escalating fears about his approach to governance. His anti-immigrant language also grew harsher and more dehumanizing than during his presidency.

Historians and scholars described his rhetoric as authoritarian and fascist, unprecedented in American political history. Concerns about Trump’s age and cognitive health surfaced as experts noted signs of rambling speech and behavioral disinhibition.

Trump’s campaign heavily emphasized claims of a “rigged election” and alleged “election interference,” repeating these claims earlier and more often than in his previous campaigns in 2016 and 2020.

He notably refused to commit to accepting the election results in 2024, reinforcing a strategy described by The New York Times as a “heads I win; tails you cheated” approach. The narrative of a rigged election became central to his campaign’s messaging.

On July 13, 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler Township, Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear but recovered quickly.

Just two days later, he was formally nominated as the Republican presidential candidate at the 2024 Republican National Convention, selecting Senator JD Vance as his running mate. Another assassination attempt occurred in Florida in September 2024, but Trump was unharmed.

In the November 2024 general election, Trump won a decisive victory against the incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, securing 312 electoral votes to her 226. He also won the popular vote, receiving 49.8% compared to Harris’s 48.3%.

His comeback was widely described by media outlets as extraordinary and reflective of a broader global trend of voter backlash against incumbent parties, partly influenced by inflation and economic difficulties experienced between 2021 and 2023.

Second Presidency (2025–Present)

Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term on January 20, 2025, becoming the oldest president in U.S. history and the first to serve with a felony conviction. He also became the second U.S. president to serve two nonconsecutive terms.

Early Actions and Governance

From day one, Trump aggressively used executive power, signing more executive orders on his first day than any previous president. Many of these orders challenged legal boundaries, provoking immediate legal battles.

Within the first month, Trump issued about ninety executive actions, many mirroring proposals from the right-wing Project 2025. His administration’s policies, widely criticized by legal scholars, frequently violated laws, regulations, and constitutional norms.

Over 300 lawsuits challenged his orders by mid-2025. His actions targeting political opponents and civil society drew accusations of authoritarianism and democratic erosion.

Conflicts of Interest

Trump’s second term saw even fewer safeguards against conflicts of interest than his first. Unlike previous presidents, he did not place his assets in a blind trust and profited from a publicly traded social media company (Truth Social), cryptocurrency ventures, and new international real estate deals with state-linked entities.

He repealed federal ethics guidelines, relaxed anti-bribery enforcement, and dropped corruption charges against political allies. His administration’s close ties to private business blurred lines between public office and personal gain.

Federal Workforce Restructuring

Trump imposed a federal hiring freeze and ended telework options, initiating mass terminations of over 30,000 federal employees within months. He reclassified many civil service jobs into at-will positions, stripping job protections and declaring various federal unions “hostile.” Executive orders excluded many departments from labor protections, sparking lawsuits.

He dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and rescinded affirmative action policies, while also cutting major government agencies, including USAID and parts of the Department of Education.

Pardons and Clemency

Following his prior pattern, Trump issued numerous pardons and commutations, favoring political loyalists, wealthy white-collar defendants, and notably pardoning all convicted or charged January 6 rioters on his first day back in office.

Domestic Policy

Trump inherited a relatively strong economy but enacted sweeping cuts to scientific research and aggressively promoted climate change denial. He rolled back environmental regulations and withdrew the U.S. once again from the Paris Agreement.

His administration dismantled government anti-corruption units, dismissed numerous inspectors general, and weakened federal oversight agencies.

Trump associated societal issues with DEI initiatives and “wokeness,” reversed pro-diversity policies, and targeted transgender rights and educational institutions for political pressure.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (July 2025)

This major legislation made permanent the 2017 tax cuts, adding $4.5 trillion in tax benefits skewed heavily toward the wealthy. It increased military and border enforcement spending, removed tax credits for clean energy and electric vehicles, and cut Medicaid and SNAP benefits.

The Congressional Budget Office projected significant increases in the budget deficit and millions losing access to Medicaid and food assistance.

Immigration Policy

Trump resumed harsh immigration policies including summary deportations, restarting the “remain in Mexico” policy, and labeling drug cartels as terrorist groups.

His administration revoked asylum and humanitarian parole statuses, attempted to end birthright citizenship, suspended refugee admissions, and imprisoned undocumented immigrants without trial using a little-known 1798 law. He targeted activists and visa holders critical of his policies.

Foreign Policy

Continuing the “America First” ideology, Trump’s foreign policy was characterized as imperialist, isolationist, and expansionist. Relations with allies were transactional and often hostile.

His administration cut ties with and announced plans to leave the World Health Organization. He and Vice President JD Vance publicly berated Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in a rare and tense Oval Office confrontation in early 2025. Trump helped broker a Gaza ceasefire alongside Biden’s team, though it was soon broken.

Economically, Trump pursued protectionist tariffs on countries including China, Canada, and Mexico, while suspending U.S. funding for the World Trade Organization. Economists criticized these moves as based on flawed assumptions about trade.

Personnel, 2025–Present

In his second term, Trump prioritized personal loyalty over expertise in selecting cabinet members and senior officials. Many of his appointees were chosen primarily for allegiance to him rather than subject-matter knowledge.

Notably, in February 2025, Elon Musk was designated a special government employee and given broad access to multiple federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk’s teams operated in at least 18 departments, including the Treasury’s $5 trillion payment system and the Small Business Administration. Trump also appointed 23 former Fox News employees to government roles, further reflecting his preference for loyal, media-aligned figures.

Judiciary Relations, 2025–Present

Facing numerous legal defeats, Trump intensified his criticism of the judiciary, openly calling for impeachment of federal judges who ruled against him.

His administration frequently defied court orders and rulings, with a Washington Post analysis finding that he ignored judicial decisions in about one-third of legal cases involving him—an unprecedented level of defiance for a U.S. president. These actions raised serious concerns about a looming constitutional crisis.

Trump also launched investigations and executive actions targeting his political opponents and critics, and uniquely pursued law firms and lawyers who had represented adversaries in previous cases. This marked an extraordinary expansion of presidential pressure on the legal profession.

Political Practice and Rhetoric

Trumpism—Trump’s political movement—remains deeply populist and right-wing, often described by scholars as embracing far-right extremism. His rhetoric has contributed to democratic backsliding through authoritarian tendencies and an expansion of executive power based on a maximalist interpretation of the presidency. Trump’s base has been likened to a cult of personality, driven by an “us vs. them” narrative that exacerbates anger and social distrust.

He frequently disparages racial, religious, and ethnic minorities and uses fearmongering and demagogy, especially visible during his 2024 campaign. Trump has appealed strongly to evangelical Christians and Christian nationalists, using related symbols and language. His anti-communist rhetoric is prominent, labeling opponents as “communists” or “Marxists.”

Racial and Gender Views

Many of Trump’s statements and policies have been widely characterized as racist. Polls and studies suggest that racial animus has been a significant factor in his political support.

Notably, he was the chief promoter of the debunked birther conspiracy theory against Barack Obama and revived similar racially charged attacks against Kamala Harris in 2024.

His campaign used dehumanizing racial stereotypes, and in 2025, he promoted false claims of white genocide in South Africa, leading to the establishment of a controversial refugee program.

On gender, Trump has a long record of belittling and disparaging women, with numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, including rape and harassment, which he denies. The 2005 “hot mic” recording where he bragged about sexual assault became a defining moment of his 2016 campaign.

Link to Violence and Hate Crimes

Research associates Trump’s rhetoric with a notable increase in political violence and hate crimes, particularly against minorities. He has openly embraced or failed to condemn extremist groups, including the far-right Proud Boys, whose recruitment surged after his 2020 debate remarks.

His pardon of January 6 rioters and refusal to unequivocally condemn political violence are seen as encouraging future unrest. Numerous violent offenders have cited Trump’s rhetoric as justification or mitigation in their cases.

Conspiracy Theories

Trump has a long history of promoting conspiracy theories, from Obama birtherism to climate change denial and baseless claims about election interference.

After his 2020 loss, his persistent promotion of election fraud conspiracies became known as the “big lie.” These unfounded claims have played a central role in shaping his political narrative and rallying his supporters.

False or Misleading Statements

Donald Trump is widely recognized for frequently making false or misleading statements, to an extent unprecedented in modern American politics. Fact-checkers, including those at The Washington Post, documented over 30,000 false or misleading claims during his first presidency alone, with the frequency of these statements increasing over time.

This pattern of misinformation has become a defining feature of his political identity, often described as “firehosing” — an overwhelming flood of claims that make it difficult to disentangle truth from falsehood.

While some of these falsehoods were minor or inconsequential, many had significant consequences:

Trump’s promotion of antimalarial drugs (such as hydroxychloroquine) as COVID-19 treatments was unproven and contributed to shortages in the U.S. and panic buying in parts of Africa and South Asia, potentially endangering people relying on those medications for other conditions.
He spread misinformation linking the rise in crime in England and Wales to “radical Islamic terror,” despite lack of evidence, which served his domestic political agenda by stoking fear.
His persistent attacks on mail-in voting and election integrity contributed to widespread public doubt about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, undermining trust in democratic processes.
His COVID-19 misinformation delayed and weakened the national response, with documented negative public health effects.

Notably, Trump rarely, if ever, apologized or retracted his false statements, and until around 2018, much of the media avoided explicitly calling his statements “lies,” despite clear evidence.

Social Media Use

Trump’s use of social media platforms, especially Twitter, was central to his political communication strategy. Starting on Twitter in 2009, he used the platform extensively during his 2016 campaign and presidency to communicate directly with the public and circumvent traditional media channels. His tweets were even considered official presidential statements by his press secretary in 2017.

However, as the volume of misinformation increased, social media companies began responding:

Twitter started fact-checking his tweets in May 2020, which Trump condemned, accusing platforms of silencing conservatives and threatening to regulate or shut them down.
After the January 6 Capitol attack, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms banned Trump, significantly reducing his ability to directly influence events or spread misinformation online.
The ban correlated with a marked decline in misinformation on Twitter.

In response, Trump launched his own platform, Truth Social, in February 2022, which attracted only a small fraction of his Twitter audience. Later, after Elon Musk acquired Twitter, Trump’s account was reinstated in November 2022. Meta Platforms (Facebook and Instagram) also allowed his return after a two-year ban expired in January 2023.

Trump’s extensive use of social media and prolific falsehoods have deeply shaped public discourse, media practices, and political polarization in the U.S., with lasting impacts on trust in information and democratic institutions.

Relationship with the Press

Donald Trump has maintained a complex “love-hate” relationship with the media throughout his career. During the 2016 presidential campaign, he benefited enormously from an unprecedented amount of free media coverage—estimated at about $2 billion worth—which helped propel his rise.

As both a candidate and president, Trump frequently attacked the media, accusing major news outlets of bias and dishonesty, labeling them as the “fake news media” and even calling the press “the enemy of the people.” His presidency saw a sharp decline in formal press briefings, dropping from around 100 in 2017 to only two in 2019. His administration also revoked press credentials from some reporters, though courts later restored them.

Trump’s antagonism toward the media escalated over time. His 2020 campaign sued several major outlets—The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN—for defamation over opinion pieces about Russian election interference; however, all suits were dismissed.

By 2024, Trump openly supported outlawing political dissent and criticism. He proposed prosecuting reporters for protecting confidential sources and suggested media companies might lose broadcast licenses for unfavorable coverage.

After his 2024 reelection, he created blacklists of media outlets, controlled access via the White House Correspondents’ Association, and avoided restoring full press access to the Associated Press, sparking lawsuits. The Federal Communications Commission also launched investigations into alleged media bias against him.

Personal Life

Family: Trump married three times:
- Ivana Zelníčková (1977–1990), with whom he had three children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.
- Marla Maples (1993–1999), with one daughter, Tiffany.
- Melania Knauss (married 2005), with one son, Barron.
Health: Trump claims never to have smoked, drunk alcohol, or used drugs. He reportedly sleeps 4–5 hours a night and considers golf his main exercise, though he usually rides in a cart. He has stated he views exercise as a drain on the body’s finite energy. His 2015 campaign released a doctor’s letter calling him the “healthiest individual ever elected president,” though the doctor later said Trump dictated its content.
Religion: Trump identifies as Presbyterian and Protestant, later describing himself as a nondenominational Christian. However, public surveys show many Americans doubted the sincerity or depth of his religious faith, and some biographers consider his knowledge of Christianity superficial.

Public Image and Assessments

Approval Ratings:
International approval of U.S. leadership declined during Trump’s first term, dropping to levels below those of other major world leaders. Domestically, his support was sharply partisan: about 88% approval among Republicans and only 7% among Democrats.

Trump was the first president since Gallup polling began never to reach a 50% approval rating during his first term. His approval rating in early 2025 (second term) was about 45%, still deeply polarized—90% among Republicans but only 4% among Democrats.
Scholarly Rankings:
Historians and political scientists consistently rank Trump among the worst U.S. presidents.
- The 2021 C-SPAN survey placed him as the fourth-worst president, particularly low in moral authority and administrative skills.
- The Siena College survey in 2022 ranked him third-worst overall.
- The American Political Science Association ranked him the worst president in both 2018 and 2024.

Trump’s combative approach to the press, his controversial personal and religious image, and his polarized approval ratings have profoundly shaped his public persona and legacy—marked by deep divisions and strong loyalty among supporters, alongside intense criticism and distrust from opponents.