47 photos of Donald Trump's incomparable life on his 74th birthday
David Choi,Kat Tenbarge,Connor Perrett
President Donald Trump.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
- Businessman-turned-president Donald Trump celebrates his 74th birthday on June 14.
- The hotel mogul became a household name through his reality show, "The Apprentice."
- Now in the fourth year of his presidential term and campaigning for his second, here's a look back at Trump's life, in photos.
President Donald Trump turned 74 on Sunday. He is the oldest president to take office, a record previously held by President Ronald Reagan, who was 73-years-old at the time of his election to a second term.
As Trump sails through the fourth year of his first presidential term, he is actively preparing for the 2020 presidential election.
Here is a look at the president's life journey, from the New York Military Academy to the Oval Office.
Donald John Trump was born to Fred and Mary Anne Trump in Queens, New York on June 14, 1946. He is the second-youngest of five children.
A photo of US President Donald Trump's late father Fred Trump sits behind him as he gives an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office at the White House.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
As a teen, the president was enrolled at the New York Military Academy where he briefly served as a captain during his senior year.
Donald Trump in the New York Military Academy's 1964 yearbook.
Business Insider via Classmates
Source: Washington Post
He graduated from Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's in economics in 1968. He then started his career at his father's real estate development company, E. Trump & Son.
Donald Trump with his father, Fred, left, at his graduation from the Wharton School of Finance.
Donald Trump/Facebook
As someone who loves the art of negotiation, Trump was able to negotiate New York City to provide a 40-year tax abatement for the Grand Hyatt Hotel — the first ever granted to a commercial property.
Gov. Hugh Carey, accompanied by Trump, points to an artist's conception of the hotel that will be built on the site of the former Commodore Hotel on June 28, 1978.
AP
Source: The Trump Organization
An early win was when Trump offered to renovate decrepit areas in need, such as a long-closed ice-skating rink, at no profit to himself, after the city's renovation effort went through five years of delays and more than double the original cost estimate.
Here, Donald Trump poses with New York City's Parks Commissioner, Henry Stern, holding a pair of ice skates that are intended for use at the Wollman Rink in Central Park on August 7, 1986.
Paul Burnett/AP
Source: AP
Trump's enterprise also stretched out into sports, where he was the original owner of the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League.
Donald Trump shakes hands with Herschel Walker in New York after an agreement on a four-year contract with the New Jersey Generals USFL football team on March 8, 1984.
Dave Pickoff/AP
Trump owns a fleet of luxury helicopters, and a private plane that was often a backdrop at his 2016 presidential campaign events.
Donald Trump in front of one of three Sikorsky helicopters at the Port Authority's West 30 Street heliport on March 22, 1988.
AP Photo/Wilbur Funches
Trump also enjoys tennis — he even played a round, wearing his traditional suit, against the legendary Serena Williams.
Donald Trump talks with his former wife, Ivana Trump, during the men's final at the US Open.
Mike Blake/Reuters
Trump was notorious for befriending supermodels. His first wife, Ivana, a Czech-American, was a member of the social elite.
Donald Trump and his former wife, Ivana, pose outside the federal courthouse after she was sworn in as a US citizen in May 1988.
Reuters
Trump had three kids with Ivana: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.
Family portrait of, from left, socialite Ivana Trump, her son Eric Trump, her former husband businessman Donald Trump, and her daughter Ivanka Trump as they sit at a table at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1998.
Davidoff Studios/Getty Images
He divorced Ivana in a public split in 1992, and married Marla Maples in 1993.
Donald Trump watches as his ex-wife, Marla Maples, gets a kiss from Earl Sinclair of TV's "Dinosaurs" during lunch at the Trump Plaza Hotel on November 2, 1992.
Henry Ray Abrams/Reuters
Trump and Marla had one daughter, Tiffany, in 1993.
Happy parents Marla Maples, left, and Donald Trump greet the press with their newborn daughter, Tiffany, as they leave St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Thurs., Oct. 14, 1993.
Hans Deryk/AP
As a self-proclaimed family man, Trump attended many public events and television shows with his family over the years.
Donald Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, peek over the crowd as they take in a tennis match during the US Open in New York.
Roh Frehm/AP
Source: Oprah
Trump loved showing off his wealth with lavish spending, and once paid the sultan of Brunei $30 million for a nearly 300-foot yacht.
Donald Trump waves to reporters with his former wife, Ivana, as they board their luxury yacht, The Trump Princess, in New York City.
Marty Lederhandler/AP
Source: AP
Trump first started showing signs of interest for a possible bid for the US presidency with the formation of a presidential exploratory committee ahead of the 2000 election.
Donald Trump talks with host Larry King after taping a segment of King's CNN talk show in New York.
Reuters
Source: Reuters
To test the political waters, the potential Reform Party presidential candidate traveled to several areas to address party leaders.
Donald Trump makes an appearance for the media atop a Beverly Hills, California, hotel on December 6, 1999.
Chris Pizzello/AP
Source: AP
In 2005, Donald Trump married fashion designer and model Melania Trump.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump leave Hollinger International's annual meeting at the Metropolitan Club in New York on May 22, 2003.
Peter Morgan/Reuters
Source: PolitiFact
The two had one son, Barron, in 2006.
Donald Trump, Barron Trump and Melania Trump leave Trump Towers to attend the 16th Annual Bunny Hop at FAO Schwartz to benefit the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center March 13, 2007 in New York City.
Peter Kramer/Getty Images/for MSKCC
As no stranger to the political process, Trump was even acquainted with members of the judicial branch. Here he is greeting Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at the Daytona 500.
US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, serving as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, speaks to Donald Trump on the starting grid at the Daytona International Speedway.
Reuters
He also became the owner of the infamous Miss Universe beauty pageant for many years.
Donald Trump and Miss Connecticut, Erin Brady, pose onstage after Brady won the 2013 Miss USA pageant.
AP Photo/Jeff Bottari, File
Trump loves to golf. He owns 17 courses. The president has spent time at one of his golf courses during at least 266 days of his presidency so far.
Donald Trump takes a swing on the 11th green of the Ocean Trails Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
His reality TV show "The Apprentice" made Trump a household name. Everyone knew him for his classic catchphrase, "You're fired!" Trump himself was fired as host of "The Celebrity Apprentice" by NBC in 2015 after he made derogatory comments about immigrants during his campaign.
Donald Trump attends the Universal Studios Hollywood Apprentice Casting Call on March 10, 2006 in Universal City, California.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Some of the president's projects, like Trump University, were mired in lawsuits that Trump lost or had to settle. Others he may have made a profit on, but declared bankruptcy, and partners he worked with accused him of not paying them.
Marita Luna (C) and Miriam Ramos (2nd R) joins other union members from UNITE HERE Local 54 as they rally outside the Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey on October 24, 2014.
Reuters
In June 2015, Trump famously launched his presidential campaign by coming down an escalator in Trump Tower.
Donald Trump.
Christopher Gregory/Getty Images
As the fog of the political battlefield cleared on the Republican side, Trump prepared to take on presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Donald Trump looks out at the construction site of his 92-story tower along the Chicago river during a visit to his Chicago offices on April 10, 2006. Trump acknowledged that because of security concerns after the events of September 11, he abandoned plans for it to be the world's tallest building at 150 stories.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Trump made his final appeal to voters in swing-states as the contentious campaign drew to a close.
Donald Trump campaigns in New Hampshire.
Scott Eisen/Getty Images
While Trump won the electoral votes needed to secure the presidency, he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly three million votes.
Donald Trump in New York on election night.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Taking his oath of office on January 20, 2017, Trump officially became the 45th President of the United States.
Supreme Court Justice John Roberts (2L) administers the oath of office to President Donald Trump (L) as his wife Melania Trump holds the Bible and son Barron Trump looks on, on the West Front of the US Capitol.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Trump signed 90 executive actions during his first 100 days in office. Some of his more controversial orders, like the travel ban, drew hundreds of thousands of people to protest. That action was ultimately held up by the Supreme Court.
Evan Vucci/AP
After taking office, Trump's administration faltered under a series of scandals and missteps. One of these was his firing of FBI director James Comey, who was leading an investigation into Russia's meddling in the US election.
President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with James Comey, then-director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, during an Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on January 22, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty
The special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to oversee the investigation. Nearly two years later, he closed the probe in May 2019 — after charging several of Trump's associates with crimes, concluding Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Trump, and outlining several instances that the president failed at obstructing justice.
President Trump and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images
As a businessman who prides himself as a seasoned dealmaker, Trump has had mixed success interacting with world leaders as president. With some, he's had sparkling relationships. With others, things have been more frosty.
Thomson Reuters
As the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Trump observed the sacrifices made by US service members on Memorial Day.
President Donald Trump lays flowers on the grave of Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly's son at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. US Marine Corps Lt. Robert Kelly was killed in 2010 while leading a patrol in Afghanistan.
Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images
Trump's first foreign trip as president began in Saudi Arabia and ended in Italy in May 2017. In Riyadh, Trump was photographed with the infamous glowing orb that took social media by storm.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, Saudi King Salman, and President Donald Trump visit a new Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Press Agency
At his first presidential college commencement, Trump addressed the graduating class of Liberty University. "What imprint will you leave in the sands of history?" he asked them. "What will future Americans say we did in our brief time right here on earth? Did we take risks? Did we dare to defy expectations? Did we challenge accepted wisdom and take on established systems? I think I did, but we all did and we're all doing it."
Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla
Source: TIME
Trump has often received criticism during his time in office, like when he threw paper towels into a crowd in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on the region.
Trump tosses rolls of paper towels like basketballs to victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
Evan Vucci/AP
Other times in his presidency have been more lighthearted. On the White House front lawn, Trump and the first lady preside over the Easter egg roll, one of many holiday traditions.
President Donald Trump, joined by the Easter Bunny and first lady Melania Trump, speaks from the Truman Balcony of he White House in Washington, Monday, April 2, 2018, during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
In some of the more lighthearted moments, Trump has entertained athletic champions at the White House with his favorite items from fast-food restaurants.
With fast food meals from Domino's, Wendy's, McDonald's, and Burger King, Trump entertains the Clemson Tigers football team after their 2018 playoffs national championship win.
Susan Walsh/AP
His presidency has witnessed multiple mass shootings including ones at the Las Vegas Strip, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Trump has fiercely defended the Second Amendment.
Thomas Gunderson fights his fresh gunshot wound to the leg to stand and shake Trump's hand.
Thomas Gunderson via Facebook
The Trumps joined the living presidents and first ladies to attend the funeral of former President George H.W. Bush in December 2018.
U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former President Jimmy Carter listen as former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney speaks during a State Funeral at the National Cathedral, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Washington, for former President George H.W. Bush.
Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS
From December 2018 through January 2019, the federal government was shut down for a record 35 days when he and lawmakers couldn't get spending bills passed over disputes related to funding for his long-promised border wall.
Trump gives his first Oval Office address on Day 18 of what would become the longest federal government shutdown in US history.
CNN
Source: Business Insider
Trump successfully saw Justice Brett Kavanaugh confirmed the Supreme Court despite the controversy surrounding his appointment and a heated confirmation hearing in the Senate. The president ushered in two conservative justices, the other being Neil Gorsuch.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, before a ceremonial swearing-in in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018.
Susan Walsh/AP
Source: Business Insider
The president was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 18, 2019, on charges of abusing his power and obstructing Congress. The inquiry was sparked after a whistleblower filed a report over a phone call the president held with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in July 2019. Trump is the third president to be impeached in US history.
President Donald Trump addresses his impeachment during a Merry Christmas Rally at the Kellogg Arena on December 18, 2019 in Battle Creek, Michigan. While Trump spoke at the rally the House of Representatives voted to impeach the president, making Trump just the third president in U.S. history to be impeached.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Things turned out alright for the president, however, when he was acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate on February 5 by a vote of 52-48. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict the president.
President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in Washington.
AP Photo/ Evan Vucci
The Trump Administration was tasked with handling the COVID-19 pandemic, which first reached the US in January. More than 110,000 Americans have died from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The president has received sharp criticism for his administration's handling of the pandemic.
President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks Tuesday, May 5, 2020, at Honeywell International Inc. in Phoenix.
Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead
The president has also received criticism for his handling of nationwide protests about racism on US police forces. At a press conference in June, Trump threatened to deploy the military to end nationwide unrest. Meanwhile, a crowd of peaceful protesters was tear-gassed outside of the White House to make way for Trump to walk to a nearby church for a photo-op.
US President Donald Trump holds a Bible while visiting St. John's Church across from the White House after the area was cleared of people protesting the death of George Floyd June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Source: Business Insider
As Trump celebrates his 74th birthday, there are less than five months until the 2020 general election. Voters will decide whether to give him another four years in the Oval Office. The president is reportedly planning to resume his campaign rallies, which have been paused due to COVID-19.
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
READ MORE ARTICLES ON
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement