Donald Trump

Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is the [45th] and current [President of the United States]. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality.

Trump was born and raised in the New York City borough of [Queens], and received an economics degree from the [Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania]. He took charge of his family's real estate business in 1971, renamed it to [The Trump Organization], and expanded it into [Manhattan]. The company built or renovated skyscrapers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses. Trump later started various side ventures, including licensing his name for real estate and consumer products. He managed the company until [his 2017 inauguration]. He co-authored [several books], including The Art of the Deal. He owned the [Miss Universe] and [Miss USA] beauty pageants from 1996 to 2015, and he produced and hosted the [reality television] show The Apprentice from 2003 to 2015. Forbes estimates his net worth to be $3.1 billion.

Trump entered the [2016 presidential race] as a Republican and defeated sixteen opponents in the [primaries]. Commentators described [his political positions] as populist, protectionist, and nationalist. His campaign received extensive [free media coverage]; many of his public statements were controversial or false. Trump was elected president in a surprise victory over Democratic nominee [Hillary Clinton]. He became [the oldest] and [wealthiest] person ever to assume the presidency, the first without [prior military or government service], and [the fifth] to have won the election while losing the popular vote. His election and policies have sparked [numerous protests].

During his presidency, Trump ordered [a travel ban] on citizens from several Muslim-majority countries, citing security concerns; after several [legal challenges], the Supreme Court upheld [the policy's third revision]. He signed [tax cut legislation] which also rescinded the [individual insurance mandate] provision of the [Affordable Care Act] and [opened the Arctic Refuge] for oil drilling. He enacted [a partial repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act] that had imposed stricter constraints on banks in the aftermath of the [2008 financial crisis]. He pursued his [America First] agenda in foreign policy, withdrawing the U.S. from the [Trans-Pacific Partnership] trade negotiations, the [Paris Agreement] on climate change, and [the Iran nuclear deal]. He [recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel]. He [imposed import tariffs] on various goods from China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union, triggering [a trade war with China].

After Trump [dismissed FBI Director James Comey], the Justice Department appointed [Robert Mueller] as [Special Counsel] to investigate "any [links] and/or coordination" between the Trump campaign and the Russian government in its [election interference]. Trump has repeatedly denied accusations of collusion and [obstruction of justice], calling the investigation a politically motivated "[witch hunt]".

Family and personal life

Ancestry and parents

Trump's ancestors originated from the German village of [Kallstadt] in the [Palatinate] on his father's side, and from the [Outer Hebrides] in Scotland on his mother's side. All of his grandparents and his mother were born in [Europe].[1]

Trump's paternal grandfather, [Friedrich Trump], first immigrated to the United States in 1885 at the age of 16 and became a citizen in 1892. He amassed a fortune operating boom-town restaurants and boarding houses in the Seattle area and the [Klondike] region of Canada during [its gold rush].[2] On a visit to Kallstadt, he met [Elisabeth Christ] and married her in 1902. The couple permanently settled in New York in 1905.[3] Frederick died from influenza during the [1918 pandemic].[4]

Trump's father [Fred] was born in 1905 in [The Bronx]. Fred started working with his mother in real estate when he was 15, shortly after his father's death. Their company, "E. Trump & Son", founded in 1923,[5][nb 2] was primarily active in the [New York boroughs] of [Queens] and [Brooklyn]. Fred eventually built and sold thousands of houses, barracks, and apartments.[4][10] The company was later renamed [The Trump Organization], after Donald Trump took charge in 1971.[11]

Trump's mother [Mary Anne MacLeod] was born in [Tong, Lewis], Scotland. At age 18 in 1930, she immigrated to New York, where she worked as a maid.[12] Fred and Mary were married in 1936 and raised their family in Queens.[12][13]

Early life and education

Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946, at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York City, the fourth of five children.[16] Trump grew up in [Jamaica, Queens], and attended the [Kew-Forest School] from kindergarten through seventh grade. At age 13, he was enrolled in the [New York Military Academy], a private boarding school, after his parents discovered that he had made frequent trips into Manhattan without their permission.[17][18]

In 1964, Trump enrolled at [Fordham University].[14][19] After two years, he transferred to the [Wharton School] of the [University of Pennsylvania].[19][20] While at Wharton, he worked at the family business, Elizabeth Trump & Son.[21] He graduated in May 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics.[19][22][23]

Trump did not serve in the military during the Vietnam War.[24] While in college from 1964 to 1968, he obtained four student deferments.[25] In 1966, he was deemed fit for service based upon a military medical examination and in July 1968, after graduating from college, was briefly classified as eligible to serve by a local draft board. In October 1968, he was classified as 1-Y, "unqualified for duty except in the case of a national emergency,"[26] and given a medical deferment which he later attributed to [heel spurs]; in 1972, the medical deferment was changed to 4-F, "not qualified for service."[26][27][28] In the [draft lottery] in December 1969, Trump's birthday, June 15, received a high number which would have given him a low probability to be called to military service even without the 1-Y medical deferment.[26][27][29]

Family

Trump grew up with three elder siblings—[Maryanne], Fred Jr., and Elizabeth—as well as a younger brother named Robert. Maryanne is an inactive [Federal Appeals Court] judge on the [Third Circuit].[30]

Trump has five children by three marriages, as well as nine grandchildren.[31][32] His first two marriages ended in widely publicized divorces.[33]

In 1977, Trump married Czech model [Ivana Zelníčková] at the [Marble Collegiate Church] in Manhattan, in a ceremony performed by the Reverend [Norman Vincent Peale].[34][35] They had three children: [Donald Jr.] (born 1977), [Ivanka] (born 1981), and [Eric] (born 1984). Ivana became a naturalized United States citizen in 1988.[36] The couple divorced in 1992, following Trump's affair with actress [Marla Maples].[37]

In October 1993, Maples gave birth to Trump's daughter, who was named [Tiffany] in honor of high-end retailer [Tiffany & Company].[38] Maples and Trump were married two months later in December 1993.[39] They divorced in 1999,[40] and Tiffany was raised by Marla in California.[41]

In 2005, Trump married his third wife, Slovenian model [Melania Knauss], at [Bethesda-by-the-Sea] Episcopal Church in [Palm Beach, Florida].[42] In 2006, Melania became a United States citizen[43] and gave birth to a son, [Barron].[44][45] Melania became [First Lady] when Trump became president in January 2017.[46]

Upon his inauguration as president, Trump delegated the management of his real estate business to his two adult sons, Eric and Don Jr.[47] His daughter Ivanka resigned from The Trump Organization and moved to Washington, D.C. with her husband [Jared Kushner]. She serves as an assistant to the president,[48] and he is a [Senior Advisor] in the White House.[49]

Religion

Trump is Presbyterian.[50][51][52] His ancestors were [Lutheran] on his father's side in Germany[53] and [Presbyterian] on his mother's side in Scotland.[54] His parents married in a Manhattan Presbyterian church in 1936.[55] As a child, he attended the [First Presbyterian Church] in Jamaica, Queens, where he had his [confirmation].[35] In the 1970s, his family joined the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan.[56] The pastor, [Norman Vincent Peale], ministered to Trump's family and mentored him until Peale's death in 1993.[57][56] Trump has cited Peale and his works during interviews when asked about the role of religion in his personal life.[56]

Trump says he receives [Holy Communion] as often as possible, believes it to be a form of asking for forgiveness and that he feels 'cleansed'.[50] While [campaigning], Trump referred to The Art of the Deal as his second favorite book after the Bible, saying, "Nothing beats the Bible."[58] The New York Times reported that [evangelical Christians] nationwide thought "that his heart was in the right place, that his intentions for the country were pure".[59]

Trump has associations with a number of Christian spiritual leaders, including Florida pastor [Paula White], who has been called his "closest spiritual confidant".[60] In 2015, he released a list of religious advisers, including [James Dobson], [Jerry Falwell Jr.], [Ralph Reed], [Michele Bachmann], [Robert Jeffress], and others.[61][62]

Health

Trump does not drink alcohol;[63] this decision arose in part from watching his older brother Fred Jr. suffer from alcoholism that contributed to his early death in 1981.[64][65] He also said that he has never smoked cigarettes or consumed drugs, including marijuana.[66]

In December 2015, Trump's personal physician, [Harold Bornstein], released a superlative-laden letter of health praising Trump for "extraordinary physical strength and stamina".[67] Bornstein later said that Trump himself had dictated the contents.[68] A followup medical report showed Trump's blood pressure, liver and thyroid functions to be in normal ranges, and that he takes a [statin].[69][70] In January 2018, Trump was examined by White House physician [Ronny Jackson], who stated that he was in excellent health, although his weight and cholesterol level were higher than recommended,[63] and that his cardiac assessment revealed no medical issues.[71] Several outside cardiologists commented that Trump's weight, lifestyle and [LDL cholesterol] ought to have raised serious concerns about his cardiac health.[72]

Wealth

Trump is the beneficiary of several trust funds set up by his father and paternal grandmother beginning in 1949.[74] In 1976, Fred Trump set up trust funds of $1 million for each of his five children and three grandchildren; Donald Trump received annual payments from his trust fund, for example $90,000 in 1980 and $214,605 in 1981.[74] By 1993, when Trump took two loans totaling $30 million from his siblings, their anticipated shares of Fred's fortune was $35 million each.[75][74] Upon Fred Trump's death in 1999, his will divided $20 million after taxes among his surviving children.[74][76][77]

Trump said that he began his career with "a small loan of one million dollars" from his father.[78] He appeared on the initial Forbes 400 list of richest Americans in 1982 with an estimated $200 million fortune shared with his father.[79] Former [Forbes] reporter Jonathan Greenberg stated in 2018 that during the 1980s Trump had deceived him about his actual net worth and his share of the family assets in order to appear on the list.[80][81] Trump made the Forbes World's Billionaires list for the first time in 1989,[82] but he was dropped from the Forbes 400 from 1990 to 1995 following business losses.[79] In 2005, Deutsche Bank loan documents pegged Trump's net worth at $788 million, while Forbes quoted $2.6 billion and journalist [Tim O'Brien] gave a range of $150 million to $250 million.[82] In its 2018 billionaires ranking, Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $3.1 billion[nb 1] (766th in the world, 248th in the U.S.)[85] making him one of the [richest politicians in American history].

When he filed mandatory financial disclosure forms with the [Federal Elections Commission] (FEC) in July 2015, Trump claimed a net worth of about $10 billion;[86] however FEC figures cannot corroborate this estimate because they only show each of his largest buildings as being worth "over $50 million", yielding total assets worth more than $1.4 billion and debt over $265 million.[87] Trump reported a yearly income of $362 million for 2014,[86] and $611 million from January 2015 to May 2016.[88]

A 2016 analysis of Trump's business career by The Economist concluded that his performance since 1985 had been "mediocre compared with the stock market and property in New York".[89] A subsequent analysis by The Washington Post concluded that "Trump is a mix of braggadocio, business failures, and real success".[90]

Business career

Real estate

In 1968, Trump began his career at his father's real estate development company, Elizabeth Trump & Son, which, among other interests, owned middle-class rental housing in New York City's outer boroughs.[91][92] Trump worked for his father Fred, to revitalize the Swifton Village apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio, which the elder Trump had bought in 1964.[93][94] The management of the property was sued for racial discrimination in 1969; the suit "was quietly settled at Fred Trump's direction."[94] The Trumps sold the property in 1972, with vacancy on the rise.[94]

When his father became chairman of the board in 1971, Trump was promoted to president of the company and renamed it The Trump Organization.[11][95] In 1973, he and his father [drew wider attention] when the [Justice Department] contended in a lawsuit that their company systematically discriminated against African Americans who wished to rent apartments. The Department alleged that the Trump Organization had screened out people based on race and not low income as the Trumps had stated. Under an agreement reached in 1975, the Trumps made no admission of wrongdoing and made the [Urban League] an intermediary for qualified minority applicants.[96][97] Trump's attorney at the time was [Roy Cohn], who valued both positive and negative publicity, and responded to attacks with forceful counterattacks; Trump later emulated Cohn's style.[98]

Manhattan developments

In 1978, Trump launched his Manhattan real estate business by purchasing a 50 percent stake in the derelict Commodore Hotel, located next to [Grand Central Terminal]. The purchase was funded largely by a $70 million construction loan that was guaranteed jointly by Fred Trump and the Hyatt hotel chain.[74][99] When the remodeling was finished, the hotel reopened in 1980 as the [Grand Hyatt Hotel].[100]

The same year, Trump obtained the rights to develop [Trump Tower], a 58-story, 664-foot-high (202 m) skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan.[101][102] To make way for the new building, a crew of undocumented Polish workers demolished the historic [Bonwit Teller] store, including [art deco] features that had initially been marked for preservation.[103] The building was completed in 1983 and houses both the primary penthouse condominium residence of Trump and the headquarters of The Trump Organization.[104][105] Architectural critic [Paul Goldberger] said in 1983 that he was surprised to find the tower's atrium was "the most pleasant interior public space to be completed in New York in some years".[106][107]

In 1980, repairs began on [Central Park]'s [Wollman Rink], with an anticipated two-and-a-half year construction time frame. Because of flaws in the design and numerous problems during construction, the project remained unfinished by May 1986 and was estimated to require another 18 months and $2 million to $3 million to complete.[108][109] Trump was awarded a contract as general contractor in June 1986 to finish the repairs by December 15 with a cost ceiling of $3 million, with the actual costs to be reimbursed by the city.[109] Trump hired an architect, a construction company, and a Canadian ice-rink manufacturer and completed the work in four months, $775,000 under budget.[109] He operated the rink for a year and gave some of the profits to charity and public works projects[110] in exchange for the rink's [concession] rights.[111][109] Trump managed the rink from 1987 to 1995. He received another contract in 2001 which was extended until 2021.[112][113] According to journalist [Joyce Purnick], Trump's "Wollman success was also the stuff of a carefully crafted, self promotional legend."[112] While the work was in progress, Trump called numerous press conferences, for example for the completion of the laying of the pipes and the pouring of the cement.[114] In 1987, he also unsuccessfully tried to get the city to rename the landmark after him; the Trump logo is prominently displayed on the railing encircling the rink, on the [Zamboni],[112] on the rental skates,[113] and on the rink's website.[113][115]

In 1988 Trump acquired the [Plaza Hotel] in Manhattan for $407 million and appointed his wife Ivana to manage its operation.[116] Trump invested $50 million to restore the building, which he called "the Mona Lisa".[117] According to hotel expert Thomas McConnell, the Trumps boosted it from a three-star to a four-star ranking. They sold it in 1995, by which time Ivana was no longer involved in the hotel's day-to-day operations.[118]

In 1994, Trump's company refurbished the Gulf and Western Building on [Columbus Circle] with design and structural enhancements turning it into a 44-story luxury residential and hotel property[119][120] known as [Trump International Hotel and Tower].[121]

In 1996, Trump acquired the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building, which was a vacant seventy-one story skyscraper on Wall Street. After an extensive renovation, the high-rise was renamed the Trump Building at [40 Wall Street].[122] In 1997, he began construction on [Riverside South], which he dubbed [Trump Place], a multi-building development along the [Hudson River]. He and the other investors in the project ultimately sold their interest for $1.8 billion in 2005 in what was then the biggest residential sale in the history of New York City.[123] From 1994 to 2002, Trump owned a 50 percent share of the [Empire State Building]. He intended to rename it "Trump Empire State Building Tower Apartments" if he had been able to boost his share.[124][125] In 2001, Trump completed [Trump World Tower].[126] In 2002, Trump acquired the former Hotel Delmonico, which was renovated and reopened in 2004 as the [Trump Park Avenue]; the building consisted of 35 stories of luxury condominiums.[127]

Palm Beach estate

In 1985, Trump acquired the [Mar-a-Lago] estate in [Palm Beach, Florida], for $10 million, $7 million for the real estate and $3 million for the furnishings.[128][129] His initial offer of $28 million had been rejected, and he was able to obtain the property for the lower price after a real-estate market "slump".[130] The home was built in the 1920s by heiress and socialite [Marjorie Merriweather Post].[131] After her death, her heirs unsuccessfully tried to donate the property to the government before putting it up for sale.[131][132] In addition to using a wing of the estate as a home, Trump turned Mar-a-Lago into a private club. In order to join, prospective members had to pay an initiation fee[133] and annual dues.[134] The initiation fee was $100,000 until 2016; it was doubled to $200,000 in January 2017.[135][136]

Atlantic City casinos

After New Jersey legalized casino gambling in 1977, Trump went to [Atlantic City] to explore new business opportunities. Seven years later, he opened [Harrah's at Trump Plaza] hotel and casino; the project was built by Trump with financing from the [Holiday Corporation] who also managed its operation.[137] It was renamed "Trump Plaza" soon after it opened.[138] The casino's poor financial results exacerbated disagreements between Trump and Holiday Corp., which led to Trump's paying $70 million in May 1986 to buy out their interest in the property.[139][140] Trump also acquired a partially completed building in Atlantic City from the [Hilton Corporation] for $320 million; when completed in 1985, that hotel and casino became [Trump Castle], and Trump's wife [Ivana] managed that property until 1988.[141][142]

Trump acquired his third casino in Atlantic City, the [Taj Mahal], in 1988 while it was under construction, through a complex transaction with [Merv Griffin] and [Resorts International].[143] It was completed at a cost of $1.1 billion and opened in April 1990.[144][145] The project was financed with $675 million in [junk bonds][146] and was a major gamble by Trump.[147] The project underwent debt restructuring the following year,[148] leaving Trump with 50 percent ownership.[149] Facing "enormous debt", he sold his airline, [Trump Shuttle], and his 282-foot (86 m) megayacht, the Trump Princess, which had been indefinitely docked in Atlantic City while leased to his casinos for use by wealthy gamblers.[150][151][152]

In 1995, Trump founded [Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts] (THCR), which assumed ownership of Trump Plaza, Trump Castle, and the [Trump Casino] in [Gary, Indiana].[153] THCR purchased Taj Mahal in 1996 and underwent bankruptcy restructuring in 2004 and 2009, leaving Trump with 10 percent ownership in the Trump Taj Mahal and other Trump casino properties.[154] Trump remained chairman of THCR until 2009.[155]

Golf courses

As of December 2016[update], the Trump Organization owns or operates 18 golf course and golf resorts in the United States and abroad.[156] According to his FEC personal financial disclosure, his 2015 golf and resort revenue amounted to $382 million,[157][88] while his three European golf courses did not show a profit.[158]

Trump began acquiring and constructing golf courses in 1999; his first property was the [Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach] in [Florida].[159] By 2007, Trump owned 4 courses around the US.[159] Following the [financial crisis of 2007–2008], Trump began purchasing existing golf courses and re-designing them.[160] Trump's use of these courses during his presidency was controversial. Despite frequently criticizing his predecessor [Barack Obama] for his numerous golf outings, Trump golfed 11 times during his first eight weeks in office.[161] According to [CNN], Trump visited Trump-owned golf courses 91 times in 2017, although the White House does not disclose whether or not the president actually played on each of those visits.[162]

Branding and licensing

The Trump Organization expanded its business into branding and management by licensing the Trump name for a large number of building projects that are owned and operated by other people and companies. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, The Trump Organization expanded its footprint beyond New York with the branding and management of various developers' [hotel towers] around the world. These included projects in [Chicago], [Las Vegas], [Washington D.C.], [Panama City], [Toronto], and [Vancouver]. There are also Trump-branded buildings in Dubai, [Honolulu], Istanbul, Manila, Mumbai, and Indonesia.[163]

The Trump name has also been licensed for various consumer products and services, including foodstuffs, apparel, adult learning courses, and home furnishings. These ventures met with mixed success for Trump, his partners, and investors in the projects.[citation needed] In 2011, Forbes' financial experts estimated the value of the Trump [brand] at $200 million. Trump disputed this valuation, saying his brand was worth about $3 billion.[164] According to an analysis by The Washington Post, there are more than 50 licensing or management deals involving Trump's name, which have generated at least $59 million in yearly revenue for his companies.[165]

Legal affairs and bankruptcies

As of April 2018[update], Trump and his businesses had been involved in more than 4,000 state and federal legal actions, according to a running tally by USA Today.[166] As of 2016[update], he or one of his companies had been the plaintiff in 1,900 cases and the defendant in 1,450. With Trump or his company as plaintiff, more than half the cases have been against gamblers at his [casinos] who had failed to pay off their debts. With Trump or his company as a defendant, the most common type of case involved personal injury cases at his hotels. In cases where there was a clear resolution, Trump's side won 451 times and lost 38.[167][168]

Trump has never filed for [personal bankruptcy], but his hotel and casino businesses have been declared bankrupt six times between 1991 and 2009 in order to re-negotiate debt with banks and owners of stock and bonds.[169][170] Because the businesses used [Chapter 11 bankruptcy], they were allowed to operate while negotiations proceeded. Trump was quoted by Newsweek in 2011 saying, "I do play with the bankruptcy laws – they're very good for me" as a tool for trimming debt.[171][172] The six bankruptcies were the result of over-leveraged hotel and casino businesses in Atlantic City and New York: [Trump Taj Mahal] (1991), [Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino] (1992), [Plaza Hotel] (1992), [Trump Castle Hotel and Casino] (1992), Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts (2004), and [Trump Entertainment Resorts] (2009).[173][174]

Adult film actress [Stormy Daniels] has alleged that she and Trump had an affair in 2006,[175] which Trump denied.[176] Just before the 2016 presidential election Daniels was paid $130,000 by Trump's attorney [Michael Cohen] as part of a [non-disclosure agreement] (NDA); Cohen said he paid her with his own money.[177] In February 2018, Daniels sued Cohen's company asking to be released from the NDA and be allowed to tell her story. Cohen obtained a [restraining order] to keep her from discussing the case.[178][179] In March 2018, Daniels claimed in court that the NDA never came into effect because Trump did not sign it personally.[180] In May 2018, Trump's annual financial disclosure revealed that he reimbursed Cohen in 2017 for payments related to Daniels.[181]

Side ventures

After Trump took over the family real estate firm in 1971 and renamed it The Trump Organization, he expanded its real estate operations and ventured into other business activities. The company eventually became the umbrella organization for several hundred individual business ventures and partnerships.[182]

Sports

In September 1983, Trump purchased the [New Jersey Generals]—an American football team that played in the [United States Football League] (USFL). After the 1985 season, the league folded largely due to Trump's strategy of moving games to a fall schedule where they competed with the [NFL] for audience, and trying to force a merger with the NFL by bringing an antitrust lawsuit against the organization.[183][184]

Trump operated golf courses in several countries.[183] He hosted several boxing matches at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, including [Mike Tyson's 1988 heavyweight championship fight] against [Michael Spinks].[185] He also acted as a financial advisor to [Mike Tyson].[186] In 1989 and 1990, Trump lent his name to the [Tour de Trump] cycling stage race, which was an attempt to create an American equivalent of European races such as the [Tour de France] or the [Giro d'Italia].[187]

Miss Universe

From 1996 to 2015, Trump owned part or all of the [Miss Universe] pageants.[188][189] The pageants include [Miss USA] and [Miss Teen USA]. His management of this business involved his family members—daughter Ivanka once hosted Miss Teen USA.[190] He became dissatisfied with how CBS scheduled the pageants, and took both Miss Universe and Miss USA to NBC in 2002.[191][192] In 2007, Trump received a star on the [Hollywood Walk of Fame] for his work as producer of Miss Universe.[193] The star has repeatedly been the subject of vandalism since Trump's election campaign and was completely destroyed on October 27, 2016, and July 25, 2018.[194][195]

Following Trump's controversial statements about illegal Mexican immigrants during his 2015 presidential campaign kickoff speech, NBC ended its business relationship with him, stating that it would no longer air the Miss Universe or Miss USA pageants on its networks.[196] In September 2015, Trump bought NBC's share of the Miss Universe Organization and then sold the entire company to the WME/IMG talent agency.[197]

Trump University

Trump University was a for-profit education company that was founded by Trump and his associates, Michael Sexton and Jonathan Spitalny. The company ran a real estate training program and charged between $1,500 and $35,000 per course.[198][199][200] In 2005, New York State authorities notified the operation that its use of the word "university" was misleading and violated state law. After a second such notification in 2010, the name of the company was changed to the "Trump Entrepreneurial Institute".[201] Trump was also found personally liable for failing to obtain a business license for the operation.[202]

Ronald Schneckenberg, a sales manager for Trump University, said in a testimony that he was reprimanded for not trying harder to sell a $35,000 real estate class to a couple who could not afford it.[203] Schneckenberg said that he believed "Trump University was a fraudulent scheme" which "preyed upon the elderly and uneducated to separate them from their money."[203]

In 2013, New York State filed a $40 million civil suit against Trump University; the suit alleged that the company made false statements and defrauded consumers.[201][204] In addition, two class-action civil lawsuits were filed in federal court relating to Trump University; they named Trump personally as well as his companies.[205] During the [presidential campaign], Trump criticized presiding Judge [Gonzalo P. Curiel], alleging bias in his rulings because of his Mexican heritage.[206][207] Shortly after Trump won the presidency, the parties agreed to a settlement of all three pending cases, whereby Trump paid a total of $25 million and denied any wrongdoing.[208][209]

Foundation

The Donald J. Trump Foundation is a U.S.-based private foundation[210] that was established in 1988 for the initial purpose of giving away proceeds from the book Trump: The Art of the Deal.[211][212] The foundation's funds have mostly come from donors other than Trump,[213] who has not given personally to the charity since 2008.[213]

The foundation's tax returns show that it has given to health care and sports-related charities, as well as conservative groups.[214] In 2009, for example, the foundation gave $926,750 to about 40 groups, with the biggest donations going to the [Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation] ($100,000), the [New York–Presbyterian Hospital] ($125,000), the [Police Athletic League] ($156,000), and the [Clinton Foundation] ($100,000).[215][216] From 2004 to 2014, the top donors to the foundation were Vince and Linda McMahon of [WWE], who donated $5 million to the foundation after Trump appeared at [WrestleMania] in 2007.[213] Trump later named Linda McMahon as [Administrator of the Small Business Administration].[217]

In 2016, The Washington Post reported that the charity had committed several potential legal and ethical violations, including alleged self-dealing and possible tax evasion.[218] Also in 2016, the New York State Attorney General's office notified the Trump Foundation that the foundation appeared to be in violation of New York laws regarding charities, ordering it to immediately cease its fundraising activities in New York.[219][220][221] A Trump spokesman called the Attorney General's investigation a "partisan hit job".[219] In response to mounting complaints, Trump's team announced in late December 2016 that the Trump Foundation would be dissolved to remove "even the appearance of any conflict with [his] role as President."[222] According to an IRS filing in November 2017, the foundation intended to shut down and distribute its assets (about $970,000) to other charities. However, the New York Attorney General's office had to complete their ongoing investigation before the foundation could legally shut down,[223] and in June 2018 they filed a civil suit against the foundation for $2.8 million in restitution and additional penalties.[224] The suit names Trump himself as well as his adult children Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka.[225]

Conflicts of interest

Before being inaugurated as president, Trump moved his businesses into a revocable trust run by his eldest sons and a business associate.[226][227] According to ethics experts, as long as Trump continues to profit from his businesses, the measures taken by Trump do not help to avoid conflicts of interest.[228] Because Trump would have knowledge of how his administration's policies would affect his businesses, ethics experts recommend that Trump sell off his businesses.[227] Multiple lawsuits have been filed alleging that Trump is violating the [emoluments clause] of the [United States Constitution] due to his business interests; they argue that these interests allow foreign governments to influence him.[228][229] Previous presidents in the modern era have either divested their holdings or put them in blind trusts,[226] and he is the first president to be sued over the emoluments clause.[229]

Media career

Books

Trump has published numerous books. His first published book in 1987 was Trump: The Art of the Deal, in which Trump is credited as co-author with [Tony Schwartz], who has stated that he did all the writing for the book.[230][231][232] It reached number 1 on [The New York Times Best Seller list], stayed there for 13 weeks, and altogether held a position on the list for 48 weeks.[231] According to The New Yorker, "The book expanded Trump's renown far beyond New York City, promoting an image of himself as a successful dealmaker and tycoon."[231]
Trump's published writings shifted post-2000 from stylized memoirs to financial tips and political opinion.[233]

Wrestling

In 1988 and 1989, Trump hosted [WrestleMania IV] and [V] at [Boardwalk Hall], and he has been an active participant in several World Wrestling shows.[234] In 2013, he was inducted into the celebrity wing of the [WWE Hall of Fame] at [Madison Square Garden] for his contributions to the promotion.[235]