2016 U.S. Election: Donald Trump at a glance

Nov 8, 2016 | News

Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona. (Gage Skidmore/Wiki Commons)

Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona. (Gage Skidmore/Wiki Commons)

By: Hunter Crowther

Republican candidate Donald Trump is the first presidential candidate for a major party without political or military experience.

(Hillary Clinton at a Glance)

Early Years

Donald James Trump was born in Queens, a suburb of New York City.

Growing up in the Big Apple, Trump was taken out of school at 13 due to behaviour problems, so he was enrolled in the New York Military Academy (NYMA).

Trump attended Fordham University for two years, then transferred to the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 1968.

Trump avoided serving in the Vietnam War, and was given a medical deferment in 1968, due to heel spurs.

Life in Business

His father Fred owned Elizabeth Trump and Son, and was one of New York’s biggest real estate developers, helping Donald enter the industry.

Given control of his father’s empire in 1971, he renamed it The Trump Organization. He and his father were investigated by the U.S. Justice Department in 1973 when they alleged The Trump Organization discriminated against blacks who wanted to rent apartments. The two sides eventually signed an agreement where the Trumps made no admissions of wrongdoing.

A New York Times investigation published in October 2016 showed Trump claimed a $916 million loss in 1995 and allowed him to avoid paying federal income tax for 18 years.

Life in Politics

While Trump has been an active voice in politics since George H.W. Bush’s 1988 campaign, he has never held any form of public office.

On June 16, 2015, after months of rumours, Trump announced he was running for president and seeking the Republican nomination.

Once the Republican primaries began last February, Trump started winning nearly every state.

He accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in July 2016.