Who is presumed GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump?

Born in Queens, N.Y., on June 14, 1946, Donald John Trump is the fourth child of Fred and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump.

In 1959, Trump joined the New York Military Academy. Subsequently, in 1964, he enrolled at Fordham University and later moved to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Economics in May 1968.

In 1966, Trump was found fit for military service after a medical examination. Later, in July 1968, a local draft board categorized him as eligible to serve. However, in October 1968, he received a 1-Y classification, signifying a conditional medical deferment. In 1972, he was reclassified as 4-F due to bone spurs, which permanently disqualified him from military service.

After college, he followed in his father’s footsteps and entered the real estate industry, establishing the Trump Organization, which eventually became a global real estate company.

Personal life

Trump, In 1977, wedded Czech model Ivana Zelníčková, with whom he had three children: Donald Jr. (b. 1977), Ivanka (1981) and Eric (1984). After divorcing Ivana in 1990, Trump married actress Marla Maples in 1993 with whom he had a daughter, Tiffany, who was born in 1993. They later divorced with in 1999. In 2005, Trump married Slovenian model Melania Knauss, with whom he has one son, Barron (2006).

A decade later, from 2004 to 2015, Trump became more heavily involved in the entertainment industry, where he co-produced and hosted the reality television series “The Apprentice” on NBC.

Political journey

In 1987, Donald Trump registered as a Republican and later became a member of the Independence Party. He then joined the New York state affiliate of the Reform Party in 1999, switched to the Democratic party in 2001, returned to the Republican Party in 2009, became unaffiliated in 2011 and finally rejoined the Republican Party in 2012.

This ultimately led to his successful presidential campaign in 2016, where he received the votes of more than 62 million Americans, the most ever for a Republican candidate.

In 2017, he was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States and was succeeded by Joe Biden in 2021. Throughout his presidential tenure, he was involved in numerous legal battles pertaining to various alleged crimes. In May, a New York jury convicted him on 34 felony charges related to falsifying business records connected to a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels with the intent to influence the 2016 elections.

He faces indictments in three separate jurisdictions, involving a total of 54 felony counts connected to his mishandling of classified documents and his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Republicans have largely denounced his recent criminal conviction in Manhattan on state charges as evidence of a politicized justice system.

Following the defeat of several primary rivals, raising hundreds of millions of dollars in recent months and rallying a wide range of Republicans behind him, the former president is now the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican Party.

Border crisis and immigration

Trump has promised to reinstate his 2019 “Remain in Mexico” program, which required asylum seekers at the U.S. border to await processing in Mexico. Additionally, he plans to expand his previous policies by directing law enforcement and the National Guard to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Trump seeks to implement travel bans targeting certain Muslim-majority countries and block entry for individuals from regions like the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

Trump has vowed to implement mass deportations and carry out the most border arrests in American history if he is elected. Trump also pledged to cease birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents.

During his presidency, according to the Associated Press, approximately 450 miles of barriers were constructed along the southern U.S. border with Mexico.

Climate change

Trump has maintained his opposition to most climate change legislation, a position he maintained during his White House term. Notably, he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement during his presidency, a UN global climate initiative President Biden subsequently rejoined.

A vocal critic of climate change initiatives, Trump has accused supporters of “green” initiatives of attempting to undermine the nation’s energy industry.

During his presidency, he rolled back numerous environmental regulations and consistently downplayed the global impacts of climate change. He has also expressed opposition to existing government subsidies for wind power development and vowed to increase domestic oil and gas production.

Trump declared his intention to end what he referred to as the “Green New Deal atrocities” on his first day in office if reelected, despite the fact that measure was never enacted as law.

Furthermore, Trump announced plans to facilitate energy development by freeing up stores of liquid gold. He also pledged to expedite the approval of natural gas pipelines into the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York, while expressing a commitment to combat litigation from environmentalists.

Trump’s stance on climate change legislation and environmental policies reflects his opposition to existing policy and his focus on promoting domestic energy production and development.

Reproductive rights

During his tenure in office, Trump advocated for individual states to determine their own laws on abortion, rather than the federal government. This stance was met with disappointment from abortion opponents, particularly due to his cautioning of Republicans against endorsing overly restrictive bans across the country.

Trump expressed criticism of six-week abortion bans in several states, but he did not specify the type of bans he would support. Furthermore, he did not clarify his position on access to mifepristone, the abortion pill, which has been a subject of debate before the Supreme Court.

In advocating for abortion laws, Trump emphasized the need for exceptions for cases of rape, incest and various medical emergencies. Notably, he appointed three of the six pivotal Supreme Court justices who contributed to the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Healthcare

During his presidency, Trump attempted to repeal the healthcare law established by former President Barack Obama, but these efforts were unsuccessful. However, he did sign legislation to increase funding for substance use disorder treatment in response to the opioid epidemic, and in 2017, he declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency.

Trump has expressed a desire to improve and reduce the cost of healthcare. On the campaign trail, he has focused on addressing the spread of fentanyl in the U.S. and targeting drug cartels in Mexico.

To address the fentanyl crisis, Trump has proposed a total naval embargo on drug cartels, designating them as foreign terrorist organizations, and to order the Department of Defense to take decisive action against cartel leadership and operations. He also aims to seek death penalty eligibility for cartel members and traffickers.

Additionally, Trump plans to pressure China to end the export of fentanyl’s chemical precursors by promising swift legal action against China for its action.

Furthermore, Trump has pledged to expand federal support for faith-based counseling, treatment, and recovery programs, as well as to provide family leave for those caring for relatives trying to overcome addiction. He also hopes to create partnerships to provide job opportunities and skills training for individuals recovering from addiction.

Crime and policing

During his tenure in office, Trump signed the First Step Act into law, which brought about various changes, including the expansion of early-release programs for individuals convicted of crimes and the reduction of certain mandatory minimum sentences.

In his current campaign, Trump has placed public safety concerns at the forefront, particularly focusing on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. He advocates for increased powers for police and asserts that Democratic policies are contributing to crime spikes in major cities. According to a Gallup poll, 77% of Americans agree with his assertion that crime is increasing.

As part of his campaign promises, Trump pledges to invest in the training of police officers, utilize the military to combat the nation’s drug problem and advocate for the death penalty for convicted drug dealers. He also vows to allocate record funding to hire and retrain police officers, strengthen qualified immunity and increase penalties for assaults on law enforcement.

Trump, according to his campaign website, plans to deploy federal prosecutors and the National Guard into high-crime communities as part of his strategy to address public safety concerns.

Foreign policy

Trump aims to reform America’s relationship with China and plans to implement a four-year strategy to phase out all Chinese imports of essential goods. He intends to prohibit federal contracts for companies that outsource to China and impose universal baseline tariffs on most foreign goods. Additionally, he seeks to establish regulations to prevent U.S. companies from investing in China. Trump stated, “when I’m back in the White House, those efforts will be expanded in a very, very big way. Instead of hunting down Republicans, a reformed FBI and Justice Department will be hunting down Chinese spies.”

Consistent with his 2016 approach, Trump is advocating for an “America First” agenda, which is skeptical of free trade and international alliances, including NATO. Furthermore, he intends to scale back U.S. defense commitments, raising doubts about continuing aid to Ukraine.

While pledging support for Israel in its ongoing conflict with Hamas, Trump has also voiced criticisms of Israeli leaders.

Education

Trump has expressed his intention to dismantle the Department of Education and return policy-making on education matters to the states. Emphasizing that curricula, enrollment and other standards are under the jurisdiction of state and local agencies, Trump has proposed providing students with what he terms a “patriotic education,” aiming to instil a love for America.

Trump supports banning transgender students from participating in school sports and has lauded the Supreme Court’s decisions targeting affirmative action programs in higher education. Additionally, he advocates for federal funding to enable schools to hire trained gun owners as armed guards and opposes federal funding for schools teaching what he refers to as “critical race theory.”

He has criticized President Biden’s initiatives to cancel student loan debt for millions of borrowers and praised the Supreme Court for overturning a portion of Biden’s debt forgiveness plan, which he deems unfair to individuals who have repaid their loans.

His education policy also encompasses promoting prayer in public schools, implementing merit-based pay for teachers and initiating civil rights investigations into school districts engaging in race-based discrimination. Trump has articulated his support for “the nuclear family,” including “the roles of mothers and fathers” and the “things that make men and women different and unique.”

Economy, interest rates and inflation

In 2017, Trump and congressional Republicans enacted a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul, set to expire in 2025, during the next president’s term. While Trump has voiced criticism of the increasing federal debt, his critics highlight the nation’s budget and debt expanded under his administration. According to the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Fact Check project, the federal debt held by the public rose from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion, largely influenced by Trump’s tax cuts, especially the reductions in the corporate tax rate.

Trump garners strong approval from voters for his management of the economy. A March poll by the Wall Street Journal revealed a majority of voters trust him more than Biden to address inflation, a key economic concern. Trump has pledged to deliver “lower taxes, bigger paychecks, and more jobs for American workers” through the implementation of universal baseline tariffs that “reward domestic production” and taxation of foreign companies. He has also emphasized his intention to lower interest rates and highlighted the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years was achieved during his administration, 3.5%, with 6.4 million jobs added before the pandemic.

With significant support from citizens and certain stakeholders, Trump appears to be gaining the momentum required to contest the upcoming presidential election in November. The 45th president remains confident in his ability to implement the policies he has endorsed as evidenced by public rallies and Thursday’s CNN debate.

Trump currently holds a slight lead over Biden in national polls with an average of just over 41% in surveys taken since April that include independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who enjoys approximately 9% support.

Featured image: Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Edited by: James Sutton