Donald Trump's life story: From real estate to politics

Long before making three consecutive bids for the US presidency, Donald Trump was America's most flamboyant billionaire.

The New York real estate mogul's life was splashed all over tabloids and television in the decades leading up to his improbable 2015-16 run for the White House.

His household name and unfiltered campaign style helped him defeat seasoned politicians - but a controversy-filled tenure saw him booted from office after a single term.

Now 78, the Republican is again defying the odds as he mounts a stunning political comeback that could end with him back behind the president's desk in the Oval Office.

The heir

He took the reins of the family business in 1971

Trump is the fourth child of New York real estate tycoon Fred Trump.

Despite the family's wealth, he was expected to work the lowest-tier jobs within his father's company and was sent off to a military academy at age 13 when he started misbehaving in school.

After earning a degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, he became favoured to succeed his father when his older brother, Fred, chose to become a pilot.

Fred Trump died at 43 from alcoholism, something that his brother says led him to avoid alcohol and cigarettes his entire life.

He shifted the company's focus from Brooklyn and Queens to glitzy Manhattan

Trump says he got into real estate with a "small" $1m loan from his father before joining the company.

He helped manage his father's extensive portfolio of residential housing projects in the New York City boroughs, and took control of the company - which he renamed the Trump Organization - in 1971.

His father, who Trump describes as "my inspiration", died in 1999.

The brand

His celebrity and media profile expanded with his business empire

Under Trump, the family business shifted from residential units in Brooklyn and Queens to glitzy Manhattan projects.

The famed Fifth Avenue became home to Trump Tower, arguably the mogul's most famous property and his home for many years. The rundown Commodore Hotel was restored as the Grand Hyatt.

Other properties bearing the Trump brand name - casinos, condominiums, golf courses and hotels - were erected too, from Atlantic City, Chicago and Las Vegas to India, Turkey and the Philippines.

His rise to stardom continued in the entertainment world - first as an owner of the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants, then as creator-host of NBC reality show The Apprentice.

He hosted 14 seasons of The Apprentice, a reality show that also featured his kids

Over 14 seasons, as Apprentice contestants competed for a management contract in his business empire, his trademark "You're fired!" line made "the Donald" a household name.

Trump has written several books, appeared in movies and pro-wrestling programming, and sold everything from beverages to neckties. But his net worth has dropped in recent years, with Forbes estimating he is currently worth around $4bn.

Trump has also filed business bankruptcies on six separate occasions, and several of his ventures - including Trump Steaks and Trump University - have collapsed.

He has also shielded his tax information from scrutiny, and reporting in 2020 from The New York Times revealed years of income tax avoidance and chronic financial losses.

The family

His marriage to and divorce from Ivana Zelnickova were the source of intense public interest

Trump's personal life has received extensive publicity.

His first, and arguably most famous, wife was Ivana Zelnickova, a Czech athlete and model. The couple had three children - Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric - before their divorce in 1990.

Their acrimonious court battle made the front pages of gossip columns, and the late Mrs Trump's allegations of domestic abuse - which she later downplayed - feature in a new movie about Trump.

He married actress Marla Maples in 1993, two months after the birth of their only child Tiffany. They divorced in 1999.

He shares one son - Barron, 18 - with current wife Melania Trump

Trump's current wife is former Slovenian model Melania Knauss. They married in 2005 and share a son, Barron William Trump, who recently turned 18.

Allegations of sexual misconduct and extramarital affairs have followed Trump the politician.

Earlier this year, two separate juries ruled that Trump defamed writer E Jean Carroll by denying her accusation of sexual assault. He was ordered to pay her $88m in total, but has appealed.

Trump was also convicted on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up a hush money arrangement with adult-film actress Stormy Daniels over an alleged extramarital encounter in 2006.

The candidate

In a 1980 interview, a 34-year-old Trump describes politics as "a very mean life" and says "the most capable people" instead choose the business world.

By 1987 though, he began teasing a presidential bid. He briefly explored entering the 2000 race with the Reform Party, then again in 2012 as a Republican.

Trump was among the most vocal proponents of "birtherism", the conspiracy theory questioning whether Barack Obama had been born in the US. He did not admit it was a lie until 2016 and never apologised.

It all started with a ride down the golden escalator at Trump Tower

It was not until June 2015 that Trump formally announced a bid for the White House, declaring the American Dream dead but promising to "bring it back bigger and better".

The freewheeling address saw him flaunt his wealth and business success; accuse Mexico of sending drugs, crime and rapists to the US; and, promise to make the country pay for a border wall.

Dominating displays on the debate stage and a controversy-riddled policy platform attracted adoring fans and fierce critics in equal measure, as well as a torrent of media attention.

He dominated the 2015-16 Republican primary

Under the 'Make America Great Again' campaign slogan, he easily muscled past rivals in the Republican Party to face off against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The novice campaign was marred by controversy, including a leaked audio tape of him bragging about sexual abuse, and he trailed in opinion polls throughout the general election.

But Trump had the last laugh against pundits and pollsters with his stunning victory over a veteran politician. He was sworn in as the country's 45th president on 20 January 2017.

The president

From the very first hours, he brought unrivalled drama to the job, often making formal announcements on Twitter (now X) and clashing openly with foreign leaders.

The Trump presidency was an uncertain time for US allies

He withdrew from major climate and trade agreements, banned travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, issued other tough immigration restrictions, launched a trade war with China, implemented record tax cuts, and reshaped Middle Eastern relations.

For nearly two years, a special counsel probed alleged collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. Thirty-four people faced criminal charges - on matters such as computer hacking and financial crimes - but not Trump. The investigation did not establish criminal collusion.

Soon after, Trump became just the third US president in history to be impeached, over accusations he pressured a foreign government to dig up dirt on Democratic rival Joe Biden. He was impeached by a Democrat-led House of Representatives but acquitted in a Republican-led Senate.

His 2020 election year was dominated by the coronavirus pandemic.

He faced intense criticism for his handling of the crisis as the US led the globe in deaths and infections and for controversial comments, like suggesting research into whether the virus might be treated by injecting disinfectant into the body.

He was forced to take a break from the campaign trail in October after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 himself.

Though he eventually received 74 million votes - more than any other sitting US president - he lost the race to Mr Biden by more than seven million votes.

From November 2020 to January 2021, he amplified claims of stolen votes and widespread electoral fraud - claims that were knocked down in more than 60 court cases.

Refusing to accept the results, Trump rallied supporters in Washington on 6 January, urging them to converge on the Capitol as Mr Biden's victory was to be formally certified by Congress.

That rally devolved into a riot that placed lawmakers and his own vice-president in danger and led to a historic second impeachment. Trump was again acquitted by the Senate, albeit more narrowly.

His actions on the day are now the focus of two criminal cases.

The comeback

Trump's political career appeared as good as dead after the storming of the Capitol. Donors and supporters vowed never to support him again, and even his closest allies publicly disavowed him.

He skipped his successor's inauguration and moved his family to Florida but, with a loyal army of fans still behind him, retained massive influence over the Republican Party.

Perhaps the most enduring legacy of his presidency came after it ended - when the three right-wing justices he had nominated to the Supreme Court cemented a conservative majority that helped end nearly 50 years of national abortion rights.

Despite being blamed for poor Republican returns in the 2022 midterm elections, Trump announced another run for president and soon became his party's clear frontrunner.

More than a dozen opponents, including his former vice-president, challenged him but fell short as Trump avoided the debate stage and trained his fire on Mr Biden.

Trump began the general election facing 91 felony charges across four criminal cases but his strategy of delaying legal cases has largely succeeded. Three cases will now no longer take place before the election, and his sentencing in New York - on arguably the weakest set of charges - has been delayed until late November.

On 13 July, a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds from an AR-style rifle from atop a nearby roof, wounding Trump in his right ear before the gunman was killed by counter-snippers.

Days later, at the Republican National Convention, the party lavished him with praise on him and officially coronated him the Republican presidential candidate for a third consecutive time, setting up an apparent rematch with Mr Biden.

A historically unpopular president, the Democrat's tenure has been marked by post-pandemic economic and infrastructure gains, but also high inflation, surges in illegal immigration and foreign policy chaos.

Since Mr Biden stepped aside and endorsed his deputy, Kamala Harris, Trump has sought to tie her to the administration's failures - with middling success.

National polls indicate that, while Ms Harris has galvanised liberal voters and raised millions of dollars, the race is deadlocked.

He has told his supporters that 5 November 2024 - the date of the US election - will be "the most important date in the history of our country".

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