45 – Donald Trump (2017 -)
On November 8, 2016, Donald Trump’s victory over seasoned politician Hillary Clinton, despite polls indicating otherwise, left Americans amazed. At age 70, not only was he the oldest person to be elected to his first term as President, Trump was also the only businessman with no prior appointed or elected government or military experience to assume that post. He said he would drain the swamp, and some viewed him as a disruptor and an outsider who would spark much-needed change. Born in Queens, New York to a wealthy family, Donald Trump graduated from Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia and made his mark as a real estate developer of casinos, golf courses, resorts, and hotels in New York and all over the world. He gained fame as a TV personality on “The Apprentice” and in cameo appearances for several movies and commercials and is the only president ever to have been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
As president, Trump has declined his $400,000 salary each year and donated it to worthy causes. Domestically, he has enacted tax cuts that especially slashed corporate taxes to stimulate business. During his presidency, Trump has appointed more than 200 conservative judges and two, soon to be three such justices to the Supreme Court. He has worked diligently to improve immigration policies and has made progress in building a secure wall on our southern border.
Before the pandemic, the country enjoyed a robust economy. Almost 3.9 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps since the election. African American and Hispanic American unemployment achieved the lowest rate ever recorded and unemployment claims hit a 49-year low. Trump signed the biggest package of tax cuts and reforms in history. After tax cuts, over $300 billion poured back into the US in the first quarter alone.
Internationally, he officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv; visited North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and cultivated a relationship with him; brokered the Abraham Accord, an agreement between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates which will no doubt shift the politics in the Middle East. President Trump has been nominated a fourth time for the Nobel Peace Prize for his international diplomacy. Also, in a stunning reversal from the previous administration, Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord and the Iran nuclear deal. He has questioned the value of NATO and negotiated an agreement for those countries to pay their share for NATO expenses. He renegotiated or pulled out of several trade agreements that he thought were counterproductive to America; withdrew U.S. support of the World Health Organization; and quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, an arms control agreement with Russia.
Trump has endured several controversies during his first term as president. In 2019, he was impeached by the house for charges related to withholding military aid to Ukraine until their newly elected leader agreed to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. The senate acquitted him of these charges. The COVID-19 outbreak has proven to be a formidable challenge for this administration even resulting in a hospital stay for Trump himself. Trump believes that actions taken by his administration and the accelerated development of vaccines and therapeutic options will have spared many lives.
Trump has 5 children and 10 grandchildren. He is married to Melania Trump, an immigrant from Slovenia who is very active as the First Lady.
President Trump along with his running mate Vice President Mike Pence are actively campaigning for a second term. The election is November 3. They face-off against Democrats, former VP Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris.
“In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving.”
