Donald Trump Trivia: 102 facts you didn’t know about the 45th President of the United States!

Donald Trump is an American businessman and the President-elect of the United States. He is scheduled to take office as the 45th President on January 20, 2017. As the Republican Party’s nominee for president in the 2016 election, he defeated Hillary Clinton in the general election on November 8, 2016.

Discover facts you didn’t know about him, here!

1. Donald John Trump was born June 14, 1946 in Jamaica Estates, Queens, a neighborhood in New York City.

2. He was the second youngest child of five children. Of his four siblings, three are living: Maryanne, Elizabeth, and Robert.

3. Trump’s older brother Fred Jr. died in 1981 from alcoholism, which Trump says led him to avoid trying alcohol or cigarettes.

4. Trump is of German ancestry on his father’s side and Scottish ancestry on his mother’s side.

5. All four of his grandparents were born in Europe.

6. His father Fred Trump was born in Queens to parents from Kallstadt, Germany and became one of the biggest real estate developers in New York City.

7. His mother, Mary Trump, was born in Tong, Lewis, Scotland.

8. Fred and Mary met in New York and married in 1936, settling together in Queens.

9. His uncle John G. Trump, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1936 to 1973, was involved in radar research for the Allies in the Second World War, helped design X-ray machines that provided additional years of life to cancer patients, and in 1943, the Federal Bureau of Investigation requested him to examine Nikola Tesla’s papers and equipment when Tesla died in his room at the New Yorker Hotel.

10. Trump frequently invokes his uncle as proof of his family’s smart genes.

11. Drumpf, the family’s ancestral name, evolved to Trump during the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century. Trump has said that he is proud of his German heritage; he served as grand marshal of the 1999 German-American Steuben Parade in New York City.

12. The family had a two-story Tudor Revival home on Wareham Place in Jamaica Estates, where Trump lived while attending The Kew-Forest School.

13. Due to behavior problems, Trump left the school at age 13 and was enrolled in the New York Military Academy (NYMA), where he finished eighth grade and high school.

14. In 1983, Fred Trump told an interviewer that Donald “was a pretty rough fellow when he was small.”

15. During his senior year, Trump participated in marching drills, wore a uniform, and attained the rank of captain. In 2015, he told a biographer that NYMA gave him “more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military”.

16. Trump attended Fordham University in the Bronx for two years, beginning in August 1964. He then transferred to the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania, which offered one of the few real estate studies departments in United States academia.

17. While there, he worked at the family’s company, Elizabeth Trump & Son, named for his paternal grandmother.

18. Trump graduated from Wharton in May 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.

19. Trump was not drafted during the Vietnam War. While in college from 1964 to 1968, he obtained four student deferments.

20. In 1966, he was deemed fit for service based upon a military medical examination, and in 1968 was briefly classified as fit by a local draft board, but was given a 1-Y medical deferment in October 1968.

21. In an interview for a 2015 biography, Trump attributed his medical deferment to heel spurs.

22. In December 1969 Trump received a high number in the draft lottery, which would also have exempted him from service.

23. Trump is currently the chairman and president of The Trump Organization, the principal holding company for his real estate ventures and other business interests – a position he has said he will vacate prior to his assumption of the presidency. During his career, Trump has built office towers, hotels, casinos, golf courses, and other branded facilities worldwide.

24. Trump was born and raised in New York City and received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968.

25. In 1971 he was given control of his father Fred Trump’s real estate and construction firm and later renamed it The Trump Organization, rising to public prominence shortly thereafter.

26. Trump has appeared at the Miss USA pageants, which he owned from 1996 to 2015, and has made cameo appearances in films and television series. He sought the Reform Party presidential nomination in 2000, but withdrew before voting began.

27. He hosted and co-produced The Apprentice, a reality television series on NBC, from 2004 to 2015. As of 2016, he was listed by Forbes as the 324th wealthiest person in the world, and 156th in the United States.

28. In June 2015, Trump announced his candidacy for president as a Republican and quickly emerged as the front-runner for his party’s nomination.

29. In May 2016, his remaining Republican rivals suspended their campaigns, and in July he was formally nominated for president at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

30. Trump’s campaign has received unprecedented media coverage and international attention.

Many of his statements in interviews, on Twitter, and at campaign rallies have been controversial or false. Several rallies during the primaries were accompanied by protests or riots.

31. On October 7, a 2005 audio recording surfaced in which Trump bragged that fame made women amenable to kissing and groping; multiple women accused him of forcibly doing so shortly thereafter. He apologized for the 2005 comments and denied the allegations, describing them as part of a wider smear campaign.

32. Trump’s platform included renegotiation of U.S.–China trade deals, opposition to particular trade agreements such as NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, stronger enforcement of immigration laws together with building a wall along the U.S.–Mexico border, reform of veterans’ care, repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, and tax cuts.

33. Following the November 2015 Paris attacks, Trump called for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to the United States, later stating that the ban would focus instead on countries with a proven history of terrorism, until the screening for potential terrorists is improved.

34. He will be the oldest person to ever become a first-term president, at the age of 70, surpassing Ronald Reagan who was 69 years of age upon winning the 1980 election.

35. Trump has five children by three marriages, and has eight grandchildren.[543][544] His first two marriages ended in divorces that were publicized in the tabloid media.[545]

36. Trump married his first wife, Czech model Ivana Zelníčková, on April 7, 1977, at the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan in a ceremony performed by one of America’s most famous ministers, the Reverend Norman Vincent Peale.

37. They had three children: son Donald Jr. (born December 31, 1977), daughter Ivanka (born October 30, 1981), and son Eric (born January 6, 1984). Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric now serve as executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization. Ivana became a naturalized United States citizen in 1988.

38. Trump has been nicknamed “The Donald” since Ivana referred to him as such in a 1989 Spy magazine cover story.

39. By early 1990, Trump’s troubled marriage to Ivana and affair with actress Marla Maples had been reported in the tabloid press.

40. Ivana Trump was granted an uncontested divorce in 1990, on the grounds that Trump’s treatment of her, such as his affair with Maples, had been “cruel and inhuman”.

41. In 1992, he successfully sued Ivana for violating a gag clause in their divorce agreement by disclosing facts about him in her book.

42. In 2015, Ivana said that she and Donald “are the best of friends”.

43. Maples gave birth to their daughter Tiffany, named after Tiffany & Company (Trump’s purchase of the air rights above the store in the 1980s allowed him to build Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue), on October 13, 1993.

44. She was raised by her mother in Calabasas, California, where she lived until her graduation from Viewpoint School.

45. They married two months later on December 20, 1993.

46. The couple formally separated in May 1997, with their divorce finalized in June 1999.

47. In 1998, Trump began a relationship with Slovene model Melania Knauss, who became his third wife.

48. They were engaged in April 2004 and were married on January 22, 2005, at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, on the island of Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a reception at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

49. In 2006, Melania became a naturalized United States citizen.

50. On March 20, 2006, she gave birth to their son, whom they named Barron William Trump.

51. Trump had previously used the pseudonym “John Baron” or “Barron” in some business deals and for other purposes.

52. Having heard the language since his birth, Barron is fluent in Slovenian.

53. In a February 2009 interview on ABC’s news program Nightline, Trump commented that his love for his business had made it difficult for his first two wives to compete with his affection for work.

54. Trump’s brother, Fred Jr., predeceased their father Fred. Shortly after the latter died in 1999, the wife of Fred Jr.’s son gave birth to a son with serious medical problems.

55. Trump and his family offered to pay the medical bills through Fred Sr.’s company (Fred Sr. freely provided medical coverage to his family through his company for decades).

56. Fred III then sued the family for allegedly having used “undue influence” on a dementia-stricken Fred Sr. to get Fred III and his sister Mary a reduced share from their grandfather’s will, but Trump attributed the reduced share to his father’s dislike of Fred III’s mother, and Trump stopped the aid for Fred III’s son.

57. The aid was resumed by court order pending outcome of the lawsuit, which was then settled.

58. Labor, materials, and pretty much everything else with a a Trump emblem have repeatedly been sent overseas to the lowest bidder. Trump’s clothing line is produced almost exclusively in China and Bangladesh.

59. Ivanka Trump’s footwear and jewelry line, which is also produced primarily in China.

60. Trump also has several hotels, golf courses, office buildings, and other real estate ventures overseas.

61. In a 2013 exposé published in The Nation, it was uncovered that Trump Palace, one of the tallest landmarks on the East coast, is registered to a company in Belize, “an offshore haven where, according to a government website, there ‘is no requirement to file annual returns or public disclosure of directors, shareholders, charges, loans or agreements.’”

62. Trump is a Presbyterian.

63. He has said that he began going to church at the First Presbyterian Church in the Jamaica neighborhood in Queens as a child.

64. Trump attended Sunday school and had his confirmation at that church.

65. Trump told a 2015 South Carolina campaign audience he attends Marble Collegiate Church, where he married his first wife Ivana in 1977.

66. Marble has said that, though Trump has a longstanding history with the church, he is not an active member of Marble.

67. Trump has said that although he participates in Holy Communion, he has not asked God for forgiveness for his sins. He stated, “I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don’t bring God into that picture.”

68. Trump calls his own book The Art of the Deal (1987) “my second favorite book of all time,” and has told campaign audiences: “Do you know what my first is? The Bible! Nothing beats the Bible.”

69. Declining to name his favorite Bible verse, Trump said “I don’t like giving that out to people that you hardly know.” However, his religious knowledge was questioned after a speech he gave to Liberty University, in which he referred to Second Corinthians as “Two Corinthians,” eliciting chuckles from some in the audience.

70. Trump maintains relationships with several prominent national Evangelical Protestant and other Christian leaders, including Tony Perkins and Ralph E. Reed Jr.

71. During his 2016 presidential campaign, he received a blessing from Greek Orthodox priest Emmanuel Lemelson.

72. Trump has ties to the Jewish-American community.

73. At an Algemeiner Journal awards ceremony honoring him with the Algemeiner Liberty Award, he was asked about having Jewish grandchildren. In reference to daughter Ivanka, who converted to Judaism before her marriage to Jared Kushner, Trump said: “Not only do I have Jewish grandchildren, I have a Jewish daughter; and I am very honored by that … it wasn’t in the plan but I am very glad it happened.”

74. A medical report by his doctor, Harold Borstein M.D., showed that Trump’s blood pressure, liver and thyroid function were in normal range.

75. Trump says that he has never smoked cigarettes or marijuana, or consumed other drugs. He does not drink alcohol.

76. He also has germaphobic tendencies, and prefers not to shake hands.

77. In September 2016, Trump discussed his health in more detail on The Dr. Oz Show, providing actual results from recent physical examinations

78.Trump’s iconic comb-over hair style has been mentioned frequently by the media. In 2004, the Chicago Tribune wrote that Trump is “known for his gaudy casinos and unusual mane of copper hair.”

79. During a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, he said, “I get a lot of credit for comb-overs. But it’s not really a comb-over. It’s sort of a little bit forward and back. I’ve combed it the same way for years. Same thing, every time.”

80. In various late-night talk shows and interviews, Trump’s hair has humorously been suggested to be a wig, so he has let the interviewers touch his hair to verify its authenticity.

81. In a June 2015 speech for his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump said he would change his hair style if he were elected.

82. Prior to graduating from college, Trump began his real estate career at his father’s company, Elizabeth Trump and Son, which focused on middle-class rental housing in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

83. During his undergraduate study, one of Trump’s first projects was the revitalization of the foreclosed Swifton Village apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio, which his father had purchased for $5.7 million in 1962.

84. Fred and Donald Trump became involved in the project, and with a $500,000 investment, turned the 1,200-unit complex’s occupancy rate from 34% to 100%.

85. Trump has said that when he graduated from college in 1968, he was worth about $200,000 (equivalent to $1,020,000 in 2015).

86. In 1972, the Trump Organization sold Swifton Village for $6.75 million.

87. At age 23, he made an unsuccessful commercial foray into show business, investing $70,000 to become co-producer of the 1970 Broadway comedy Paris Is Out!

88. A tall, white- and grey-colored building with a curved facade, towering above shorter buildings nearby. This is the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower in Panama City, Panama
The Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower (center) in Panama City, Panama.

89. He was given control of the company in 1971 and, in one of his first acts, renamed the company to The Trump Organization.

90. In that year, he also moved to Manhattan, where he took part in larger construction projects and used attractive architectural design to win public recognition.

91. He and his father drew wider attention in 1973 when the Justice Department alleged that they were discriminating against blacks who wanted to rent apartments, rather than merely screening out people based on low income as the Trumps stated.

92. The Department of Justice said that black “testers” were sent to more than half a dozen buildings and were denied apartments, but a similar white tester would then be offered an apartment in the same building.

93. Ultimately the Trumps’ company and federal officials signed an agreement under which the Trumps made no admission of wrongdoing, and under which qualified minority applicants would be presented by the Urban League.

94. By 1973, Trump was president of the Trump Organization, and oversaw the company’s 14,000 apartments across Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

95. In 1978, the city selected his site on the West Side of Manhattan as the location for its Jacob Javits Convention Center, after finding that he was the only bidder who had a site ready for the project. He received a broker’s fee on the property sale.

96. Trump’s first big deal in Manhattan was the development of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in 1978 next to Grand Central Terminal.

97. In 1981, Trump purchased and renovated a building that would become the Trump Plaza, on Third Avenue in New York City. Trump made this into an apartment cooperative, in which tenants partly owned the building.

98. Donald Trump and his team know that in this day and age it’s vital to have a healthy presence on social media. In fact, Donald Trump apparently receives an average 67,000 new Twitter followers per month!

99. For a man like Trump, a casino is the perfect setting. What you may not have heard, however, is that ‘The Apprentice’ guru has seen four of his casinos go bankrupt.

100. He loves golf. He owns 16 high-end golf courses around the world and plays regularly.

101. It will probably come as no shock to you that Donald Trump owned 14,000 apartments by the time he was 27. He owned them under the Trump Management Corporation which he built almost single-handedly.

102. Donald Trump inherited so much money from his father that he would have the same net worth if he would have just put his inheritance in an index fund. He could have sat around and done nothing and just let his money accumulate instead of working.