Donald John Trump is the 45th and current President of the United States, in office since January 20, 2017. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality.
Trump was born in the New York City borough of Queens. He earned an economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. A third-generation businessman, Trump followed in the footsteps of his grandmother Elizabeth and father Fred in running the family real estate company. He served as chairman and president of The Trump Organization from 1971 until his inauguration as president in January 2017, when he delegated company management to his sons Donald Jr. and Eric. Trump's business career primarily focused on building or renovating office towers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses.
Trump also started several side ventures and branded various products with his name. He is credited as having written or co-written several books , and produced and hosted The Apprentice television series for 12 years. As of 2017, he was the 544th richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion.
Trump had long expressed interest in politics. He 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 won the general election on November 8, 2016, in a surprise victory against Democratic opponent 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 despite losing the popular vote. His election and policies have sparked numerous protests.
In domestic policy, Trump has unsuccessfully attempted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. He appointed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. He ordered a travel ban on citizens from six Muslim-majority countries, citing security concerns; the ban was partially implemented after several legal challenges. In foreign policy, he withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris Climate Agreement, undid parts of the Cuban Thaw, and ordered missile strikes in Syria in response to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack. After Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey, the Justice Department appointed Comey's predecessor Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russia's interference in the presidential election, potential links between Russia and Trump campaign associates, and any related matters.
“I know words. I have the best words.”
2015
Source: Speech in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn283OjPb1g, 30 December 2015, reported by Gawker https://gawker.com/yet-another-bold-claim-from-donald-trump-i-know-words-1750331997 and The Daily Caller https://dailycaller.com/2015/12/30/trump-i-know-words-i-have-the-best-words-obama-is-stupid-video/, among others.
“The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.”
Tweets on November 6 and 7, 2012, some of which were later deleted. Trump falsely believed Barack Obama had lost the popular vote. Trump’s flip-flop on the electoral college: From ‘disaster’ to ‘genius’ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/11/15/trumps-flip-flop-on-the-electoral-college-from-disaster-to-genius/
2012
“I look very much forward to showing my financials. Because they are huge.”
Michael
Scherer
In the presence of Donald Trump
2011-04-11
TIME Magazine
http://swampland.time.com/2011/04/14/in-the-presence-of-donald-trump/
2019-10-28
2011
“Get in, get it done, get it done right, and get out.”
Source: 1980s, Trump: The Art of the Deal (1987), p. 65
Reportedly said by Trump after he was hospitalized with COVID-19, following an outbreak of the disease in the White House; the quote actually originates from an image featuring a fabricated subtitle overlaid on a video released by the President while he was in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-coronavirus-kill-body/
Misattributed
Claimed about the coronavirus, as quoted by * 2020-10-16
FactChecking Trump’s Town Hall
Brooks Jackson, Lori Robertson, Robert Farley, Angelo Fichera, Jessica McDonald, Rem Rieder, Katie Busch, Eugene Kiely
FactCheck.org
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/10/factchecking-trumps-town-hall/
2020, October 2020
“I don’t think I’m contagious at all.”
Quoted by * 2020-10-08
President Trump says he’s not ‘contagious at all’ days after leaving hospital with coronavirus
Will Feuer
CNBC
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/08/president-trump-says-hes-not-contagious-at-all-days-after-leaving-hospital-with-coronavirus-.html
2020, October 2020
As quoted by * Aaron Rupar
2020-08-03
“They are dying. That’s true. It is what it is.” Trump’s Axios interview was a disaster.
VOX
https://www.vox.com/2020/8/4/21354055/trump-axios-interview-jonathan-swan
2020, August 2020
“There is no way you can go through a mail-in vote without massive cheating.”
As quoted by * Daniel Dale
2020-08-03
Jonathan Swan reveals the simple secret to exposing Trump's lies: basic follow-up questions
CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/04/politics/fact-check-jonathan-swan-axios-hbo-interview-trump-coronavirus/index.html
2020, August 2020
“You can take the number of cases and look we're last, meaning we're first.”
Trump was explaining the virus situation, as quoted by * James Walker
2020-08-03
5 Takeaways From Trump's Axios Interview
Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com/five-takeaways-donald-trump-axios-interview-1522596
2020s, 2020, August
“You can look at large portions of our country, it's corona-free.”
As quoted by * 2020-07-28
Fact check: Trump falsely says 'large portions' of the US are 'corona-free,' repeats claim that protests are leading to rising cases
Holmes Lybrand, Tara Subramaniam, Nathan McDermott and Em Steck
CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/28/politics/coronavirus-trump-kodak-press-briefing-fact-check/index.html
2020, July 2020
“If people want to get tested, they get tested.”
Quoted in * 2020-05-11
Fact check: Trump falsely claims, again, that anybody who wants a test can get one
By Daniel Dale, David Wright, Arman Azad, Holmes Lybrand
CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/11/politics/trump-fact-check-may-11/index.html
2020, May 2020
“I recommend: take the vaccines. I did it. It’s good. Take the vaccines.”
Source: "Trump booed at Alabama rally after telling supporters to get vaccinated" https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/22/trump-booed-at-alabama-rally-after-telling-supporters-to-get-vaccinated.html, CNBC, 22 August 2021
“The American people are with you!”
In an emailed statement " Trump urges GOP senators to vote against McConnell debt deal https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/575876-trump-urged-gop-senators-to-vote-against-mcconnell-debt-deal" (October 7,2021)
2021, October 2021
“Nobody has done more for Christianity or for evangelicals — or for religion itself — than I have.”
Quoted in "Donald Trump Claims Nobody Has Done More 'for Religion Itself' Than Him" https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-claims-nobody-has-done-more-religion-itself-him-1635036, Newsweek, 2 October 2021
2021, October 2021
“We’re not going to have a country left in three years, I’ll tell you that.”
"Donald Trump Predicts America Will End Within 3 Years" https://www.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump-predicts-america-end-002940784.html, quoted by David Moye, Yahoo News, 15 September 2021
2021, September 2021
“We love the blue. I’ll say it loud. You know, you’re not supposed to say that. We love the blue.”
Trump makes surprise visit to New York police and firefighters on 9/11 https://nypost.com/2021/09/11/trump-makes-surprise-visit-to-new-york-police-and-firefighters/
2021, September 2021
“I’ve been given so much support by the people who do what you do.”
2021, September 2021
“I don't have a big mouth, you know what I have, I have a mouth that tells the truth.”
2021, September 2021
Source: "Trump says he has 'a mouth that tells the truth' while making false statements at Georgia rally" https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-says-has-mouth-tells-truth-while-lying-georgia-rally-2021-9?r=US&IR=T, Insider, 26 September 2021
Context: They want to go after me because I have, they think, a big mouth.
“I’m not into golden showers.”
2021, October 2021
Source: "Trump Touts Putin Relationship, Rails About Wind Energy's 'Carbon Emissions' In Speech" https://news.yahoo.com/trump-touts-putin-relationship-rails-233840649.html, Yahoo News (October 16 2021)
Source: " Trump faces a pile of civil lawsuits as depositions begin https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-faces-pile-civil-lawsuits-depositions-begin-n1281612" (October 18, 2021)
Source: " Trump announces social media platform launch plan, SPAC deal https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/20/trump-announces-social-media-platform-launch-plan-spac-deal.html" (October 20, 2021)
“I came up with a vaccine, with three vaccines.”
Source: "Trump pushes back on Candace Owens: 'People aren't dying when they take the vaccine'" https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/587079-trump-pushes-back-on-candace-owens-people-arent-dying, The Hill, 23 December 2021
Source: "Trump met with boos after revealing he received Covid-19 booster" https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/20/politics/donald-trump-booster-shot-boos/index.html, CNN, 21 December 2021
2021, January 2021
Source: 12:13pm tweet https://archive.is/IvpaU on 6 January 2021
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/01/trump-arizona-rally-2024-election/621244/ theatlantic
2022, January 2022
Source: 30 January 2022 reported by TGP https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/01/hope-go-jail-get-book-thrown-deserve-lindsey-graham-susan-collins-buck-trump-vow-persecute-jan-6ers/
2022, February 2022
Source: 4 February 2022 per 7 February 2022 report by Reuters Pence says Trump was wrong that he could have overturned 2020 election https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pence-says-trump-was-wrong-that-he-could-have-overturned-2020-election-result-2022-02-04/ by Alexandra Ulmer
"Trump says Biden's plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan is a 'wonderful and positive thing to do'" https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-biden-afghanistan-pullout-wonderful-and-positive-thing-to-do-2021-4?r=US&IR=T, Business Insider, 19 April 2021
2021, April 2021
"Trump says he'd rather be 'a dictator' than 'a dumb person' after bragging about the cognitive test he took in 2018" https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-rather-be-a-dictator-than-a-dumb-person-video-2022-4?r=US&IR=T, Business Insider, 22 April 2022
2022, April 2022
“I am the least racist person there is anywhere in the world.”
30 July 2019 per The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2019/jul/30/trump-claims-least-racist-person-in-the-world
2019, July 2019
“I am the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life.”
17 February 2017 per CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/16/donald-trump-i-am-the-least-anti-semitic-racist-person-that-youve-ever-seen.html
2017, February 2017
