A native of New York City, Trump represented the third generation of businessmen in his family – his father, Fred Trump, having turned to real estate to support his family when his own father had died prematurely. Young Trump assisted his father with various business ventures, and in the process, learned how to recognize the art of a good deal. After graduating from New York Military Academy in 1964, Trump studied finance at the renowned and first-of-its-kind Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Upon returning to New York, Trump eased his way through the upper crest by joining an exclusive club – on the one condition that he not try to steal the wives of older members. He used his membership as a means to an end – to make all the right contacts from whence his empire would be born.
The membership was a good move. Trump became one of the premier real estate tycoons in the early 1980’s by amassing properties in New York City, including Trump Tower and Trump Plaza. He also delved into the casino business, where his name was emblazoned on the only three five-star casino/hotels in Atlantic City. Trump continued to score with the publication of his first autobiography, The Art of the Deal, which sold in excess of 3 million copies, settling on the best-seller list for a comfortable 32 weeks. Three more books followed, though none were as successful as the first: Surviving at the Top, The Art of the Comeback and his first political manifesto, The America We Deserve. Also on Trump’s plate was his role as Executive Producer for the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Pageants, airing on CBS. Throughout the 1980’s, the mogul also saw the downside of fame firsthand, watching as his name was continually splashed across tabloids due to his rocky separation and divorce from first wife Ivana followed by a subsequent relationship with second ex-wife, Marla Maples.
Despite a long-string of daring successes and a life at the top of the real estate world, Trump’s fortunes came crashing down in 1990 when he was forced to file bankruptcy after a loss of over two-thirds of his net worth, or $1.5 billion. True to his hard-edged style, Trump fought back and returned his net worth to a more relaxing $3 billion. But for most of the late 1990s and into the 21st century, Trump remained largely out of the public eye.
His comeback arrived in the form of a new reality program, “The Apprentice,” which captured the public’s attention from the first. On the show, 16 contestants – eight men, eight women – competed against each other to become the president of one of Trump’s companies and recipient of a $250,000 annual salary. Each episode featured Trump assigning the teams with tasks to complete, including everything from selling lemonade on the NY streets to renting swanky apartment buildings for $20,000 a night. At the close of each episode, Trump brought all the contestants to the board room where he summarily “fired” one in business-like fashion. The surprise hit become one of the leading lights of reality series TV and a tent-pole property for NBC, which later launched a less successful spin-off version starring Martha Stewart.
"The Donald's" public profile was reestablished and he reveled in the limelight, using his pop cultural cachet to fuel projects big and small, from merchandising tie-ins to major corporate undertakings. However, he was never without his controversies. Trump found himself in financial trouble yet again, when the threat of bankruptcy loomed over his empire once more. His ailing Atlantic City casinos were swamped by $1.8 billion of debt. The entrepreneur again fought to stave off bankruptcy proceedings by seeking a $400 million cash infusion. Helpful was his continued "Apprentice" success and his continually colorful personal life, following his over-the-top, star-studded marriage to Slovenian model-actress, Melania Knauss, in January, 2005.