About Me
Donald John Trump was born June 14, 1946, in New York, NY. The third generation in a family of businessmen, Donald has his father, Fred Trump, to thank for his deal making and entrepreneurial skills.Fred Trump was forced to help support his family due to his father's death early on. As a result, Fred started his own business and recognized the money to be made in real estate. Donald inherited the skill of recognizing a good deal when he saw it, since Donald would assist his father in his business ventures when he was still young.After completing his education at a military academy, Trump headed out to study finance at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. With an innate eye for business, and the additional training he received in school and while working for his father, Trump knew what he wanted to do with his life, and whatever it was, he knew it would be big.But big couldn't occur where he was raised -- in Queens -- so he packed up his belongings and moved to Manhattan on his own. His bank account and wallet were a far cry from the fortune he has today (he was practically broke), but that didn't stop him from becoming a member at an exclusive club in New York.Trump used his negotiating skills and smarts to join the club, which was not open for "regular" folk -- on the condition that he kept his hands off the wives of other members (his womanizing skills must have been apparent early on). He didn't intend to play polo and sail in yachts as a member, rather he used his membership as a way to make contacts, and that he did.Trump had transformed himself into one of the most powerful real-estate moguls of the '80s, with ownership of buildings such as Trump Tower on 5th Av., Trump Parc, the Plaza Hotel, and the New Jersey Generals. He also penetrated the casino business in Atlantic City and New Jersey, and transportation with the Trump Shuttle airline.
