Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Donald Trump

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Donald Trump made an impact.

Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman. He served as the 45th U.S. President from 2017 to 2021 and is a member of the Republican Party. Currently, he holds the position of 47th president of the United States. His career spans real estate, television, and politics, marked by significant policy changes and a distinctive communication style. He remains a prominent and often controversial figure in American public life.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1900: Trump granted fewer clemency requests than all presidents since 1900 except two.

During his first term, Trump granted 237 requests for clemency, which is fewer than all presidents since 1900 with the exception of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

1968: Trump employed at Trump Management

Starting in 1968, Donald Trump was employed at his father's real estate company, Trump Management.

1970: Trump's Broadway investment

In 1970, Donald Trump invested $70,000 to receive billing as coproducer of a Broadway comedy.

1971: Trump becomes president of his family's real estate business

In 1971, Donald Trump became the president of his family's real estate business, which he renamed the Trump Organization.

1971: Trump becomes president of Trump Organization

In 1971, Donald Trump's father made him president of the company, and he began using the Trump Organization as an umbrella brand.

1978: Launch of Commodore Hotel Renovation

In 1978, Donald Trump attracted public attention with the launch of his family's first Manhattan venture: the renovation of the derelict Commodore Hotel.

1980: Opening of Grand Hyatt Hotel and Development of Trump Tower

In 1980, the Commodore Hotel reopened as the Grand Hyatt Hotel, and Donald Trump obtained rights to develop Trump Tower.

September 1983: Purchase of the New Jersey Generals

In September 1983, Donald Trump purchased the New Jersey Generals, a team in the United States Football League.

1984: Opening of Harrah's at Trump Plaza

In 1984, Donald Trump opened Harrah's at Trump Plaza, a hotel and casino, with financing and management help from the Holiday Corporation.

1985: Trump's film and television cameos began

From 1985, Donald Trump had cameos in many films and television shows.

1985: Acquisition of Mar-a-Lago Estate

In 1985, Donald Trump acquired the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

1985: Purchase of Atlantic City Hilton Hotel

In 1985, Donald Trump bought the unopened Atlantic City Hilton Hotel and renamed it Trump Castle.

1985: League Folded

In 1985, after the 1985 season, the United States Football League folded, largely due to Donald Trump's attempt to move to a fall schedule.

May 1986: Trump Takes Sole Control of Harrah's at Trump Plaza

In May 1986, Donald Trump paid Holiday $70 million to take sole control of Harrah's at Trump Plaza.

1986: Stock Transactions

From 1986 Donald Trump purchased significant blocks of shares in various public companies while suggesting that he intended to take over the company.

1987: Trump started donating to his foundation

From 1987, Donald Trump gave his foundation $5.4 million, which had been spent by the end of 2006.

1987: Trump placed advertisements in newspapers

In 1987, Donald Trump placed full-page advertisements in major newspapers expressing his views on foreign policy and how to eliminate the federal budget deficit.

1987: Publication of The Art of the Deal

In 1987, Donald Trump's first book, "The Art of the Deal" by Tony Schwartz, was published and became a New York Times Best Seller.

1988: Acquisition of the Plaza Hotel

In 1988, Donald Trump acquired the Plaza Hotel with a loan from a consortium of 16 banks.

1988: Trump asked to be considered as a running mate

In 1988, Donald Trump approached Lee Atwater, asking to be put into consideration to be Republican nominee George H. W. Bush's running mate.

1988: Purchase of Eastern Air Lines Shuttle

In 1988, Donald Trump purchased the Eastern Air Lines Shuttle and renamed the airline Trump Shuttle.

1988: Establishment of the Donald J. Trump Foundation

In 1988, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, a private foundation, was established.

1988: Stock Transactions

Until 1988 Donald Trump purchased significant blocks of shares in various public companies while suggesting that he intended to take over the company.

1989: Tour de Trump cycling stage race

In 1989, Donald Trump lent his name to the Tour de Trump cycling stage race, an attempt to create an American equivalent of European races.

1989: Trump became a member of SAG-AFTRA

Since 1989, Donald Trump had been a member of SAG-AFTRA.

April 1990: Opening of the Trump Taj Mahal

In April 1990, the Trump Taj Mahal opened.

1990: Tour de Trump cycling stage race

In 1990, Donald Trump lent his name to the Tour de Trump cycling stage race, an attempt to create an American equivalent of European races.

1991: Default on Loans for Trump Shuttle

In 1991, Donald Trump defaulted on his loans for Trump Shuttle, and ownership passed to the banks.

1991: First Business Bankruptcy Filing

In 1991, Donald Trump filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

1991: Trump Taj Mahal Bankruptcy Filing

In 1991, Donald Trump filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the Trump Taj Mahal.

1992: Trump Shuttle Operation Ends

In 1992, Donald Trump operated the Trump Shuttle until 1992.

1992: Bankruptcy Filing for Trump Castle and Trump Plaza

In 1992, both Trump Castle and Trump Plaza casinos filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

1992: Plaza Hotel Bankruptcy

In 1992, the Plaza Hotel filed for bankruptcy protection, and a reorganization plan was approved with the banks taking control of the property.

1994: Sale of Interest in Riverside South Project

In 1994, struggling with debt from other ventures, Donald Trump sold most of his interest in the Riverside South project to Asian investors.

1995: Conversion of Mar-a-Lago into a Private Club

In 1995, Donald Trump converted the Mar-a-Lago estate into a private club.

1995: Default on Bank Loans and Seizure of Properties

In 1995, Donald Trump defaulted on over $3 billion of bank loans, and the lenders seized the Plaza Hotel and most of his other properties.

1995: Founding of Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR)

In 1995, Donald Trump founded Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR), which assumed ownership of the Trump Plaza.

1996: Acquisition and Renovation of 40 Wall Street

In 1996, Donald Trump acquired and renovated the mostly vacant 71-story skyscraper at 40 Wall Street, later rebranded as the Trump Building.

1996: Purchase of Miss Universe Pageants

In 1996, Donald Trump purchased the Miss Universe pageants, including Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.

1996: THCR Purchases Taj Mahal and Trump Castle

In 1996, THCR purchased the Taj Mahal and the Trump Castle.

1999: Start of Building and Buying Golf Courses

In 1999, Donald Trump began building and buying golf courses.

February 2000: Trump withdrew from Reform Party presidential primaries

In February 2000, Donald Trump withdrew from the 2000 Reform Party presidential primaries after being a candidate for three months.

2001: Trump's film and television cameos ended

Donald Trump's cameos in many films and television shows ended in 2001.

2002: Move of Pageants to NBC

In 2002, due to disagreements with CBS, Donald Trump took the Miss Universe pageants to NBC.

2004: Trumped! talk radio program began

From 2004, Donald Trump had his own short-form talk radio program, Trumped!

2004: Trump began hosting The Apprentice

From 2004, Donald Trump hosted The Apprentice (including the variant The Celebrity Apprentice), created by Mark Burnett.

Loading Video...

2004: Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR) Bankruptcy

In 2004, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR) went bankrupt, leaving Donald Trump with 10 percent ownership.

2005: Trump cofounded Trump University

In 2005, Donald Trump cofounded Trump University, a company that offered real estate seminars for prices as high as $35,000.

2006: Trump's initial donations to his foundation spent

By the end of 2006, the $5.4 million that Donald Trump had donated to his foundation between 1987 and 2006 had been spent.

2007: Trump donated to his foundation

In 2007, Donald Trump donated to his foundation $65,000 in 2007–2008.

2007: Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

In 2007, Donald Trump received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work as producer of Miss Universe.

2007: Trump appeared at Wrestlemania 23

In 2007, Donald Trump sporadically appeared for the professional wrestling company WWE, including Wrestlemania 23.

2008: Trumped! talk radio program ended

Donald Trump's short-form talk radio program, Trumped!, ended in 2008.

2008: Trump donated to his foundation

In 2008, Donald Trump donated to his foundation $65,000 in 2007–2008.

2008: Opening of Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago

In 2008, Donald Trump's last major construction project, the 92-story mixed-use Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, opened.

2009: Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Bankruptcy

In 2009, Donald Trump filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts company.

2009: Joining Twitter

In 2009, Donald Trump joined Twitter, marking the beginning of his active social media presence.

2009: Trump Resigns as Chairman

In 2009, Donald Trump remained chairman of Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR) until 2009.

2009: Began the longest economic expansion in American history

Since 2009, began the longest economic expansion in American history.

2010: Trump University renamed

In 2010, after being notified by New York State authorities that the use of "university" violated state law because it was not an academic institution, Trump University was renamed the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative.

May 2011: Trump announced he would not run for president in 2012

In May 2011, Donald Trump announced that he would not run for president in the 2012 election.

2011: Trump became a guest commentator on Fox & Friends

From 2011, Donald Trump was a guest commentator on Fox & Friends.

2012: Trump considered challenging President Barack Obama

In 2012, Donald Trump considered challenging President Barack Obama in the election.

2014: Trump weakened U.S. sanctions imposed after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.

Trump weakened the toughest U.S. sanctions imposed after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.

June 2015: Trump announced his candidacy for the 2016 election

In June 2015, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the 2016 election.

2015: Trump finished his role as guest commentator on Fox & Friends

Donald Trump finished his role as guest commentator on Fox & Friends in 2015.

2015: Trump stopped hosting The Apprentice

Donald Trump stopped hosting The Apprentice (including variant The Celebrity Apprentice) in 2015.

Loading Video...

2015: End of "The Apprentice"

In 2015, Donald Trump stopped hosting the reality television show "The Apprentice".

Loading Video...

March 2016: Trump became the Republican front-runner

In March 2016, Donald Trump became the Republican front-runner in the 2016 election.

October 2016: Trump participated in presidential debates

In October 2016, Donald Trump participated in three presidential debates with Hillary Clinton.

November 8, 2016: Trump was elected president

On November 8, 2016, Donald Trump was elected president, receiving 306 pledged electoral votes versus 232 for Hillary Clinton.

2016: Emergence of Trumpism

Beginning with his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump's politics and rhetoric led to the creation of a political movement known as Trumpism, characterized by right-wing populism and the mainstreaming of far-right ideas. His actions and rhetoric have been described as authoritarian.

2016: Owning 17 Golf Courses

By 2016, Donald Trump owned 17 golf courses.

2016: Frequent Posting on Twitter

During his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump posted frequently on Twitter.

2016: Trump pledged that Roe v. Wade would be overturned.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump pledged that Roe v. Wade would be overturned "automatically" if he were elected and given the opportunity to appoint two or three anti-abortion justices.

2016: Trump vowed to protect Medicare and other social safety-net programs

During the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to protect funding for Medicare and other social safety-net programs.

2016: Trump wins the presidential election

In 2016, Donald Trump won the presidential election against Hillary Clinton.

2016: Trump's campaign platform

In 2016, Donald Trump's campaign platform emphasized renegotiating U.S.–China relations and free trade agreements such as NAFTA and strongly enforcing immigration laws.

2016: Media Coverage in 2016 Campaign

In the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump benefited from a record amount of free media coverage and accused the press of bias, labeling it as "fake news media" and "the enemy of the people".

2016: Trump settled Trump University lawsuits

Shortly after winning the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump agreed to pay a total of $25 million to settle three cases related to Trump University.

January 20, 2017: Trump's inauguration

On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was inaugurated as president.

May 2017: Trump dismissed FBI director James Comey.

In May 2017, Trump dismissed FBI director James Comey, saying he was concerned about Comey's role in the Trump-Russia investigations.

October 2017: Hundreds of sub-cabinet positions remain without a nominee.

In October 2017, hundreds of sub-cabinet positions remained without a nominee in the Trump administration.

December 2017: Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

In December 2017, Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, reducing tax rates for businesses and individuals.

2017: Trump's Presidential Inauguration

In 2017, Donald Trump assumed office as the 45th President of the United States.

2017: Trump Files for Reelection

In 2017, Donald Trump filed to run for reelection shortly after becoming president, holding his first reelection rally less than a month after taking office.

2017: Tweets as Official Statements

In 2017, Donald Trump's press secretary stated that his tweets constituted official presidential statements.

2017: Reduction in Press Briefings

In 2017, the first Trump presidency reduced formal press briefings from about one hundred.

June 2018: Trump meets with Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

In June 2018, as North Korea's nuclear weapons were increasingly seen as a serious threat, Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to meet a North Korean leader, meeting Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

July 2018: High staff turnover in the Trump administration.

By early July 2018, 61 percent of Trump's senior aides had left, and 141 staffers had left in the previous year, setting a record for recent presidents.

December 2018: Government shutdown begins due to border wall funding dispute.

In December 2018, Trump's refusal to sign any spending bill unless it allocated funding for the border wall resulted in the longest-ever federal government shutdown, lasting 35 days.

2018: Reduction in Licensing Deals

By 2018, only two consumer goods companies continued to license Donald Trump's name.

2018: Trump signed legislation to increase funding for drug treatments.

In 2018, Trump signed legislation to increase funding for drug treatments in response to the opioid epidemic but was criticized for lacking a concrete strategy.

2018: Reduction in Press Briefings

In 2018, the first Trump presidency reduced formal press briefings to about half that in 2017.

January 8, 2019: Many key positions in the executive branch remained unfilled.

By January 8, 2019, of 706 key positions in the executive branch, 433 had been filled, and there was no nominee for 264.

January 2019: Government shutdown ends without border wall funding.

In January 2019, the government shutdown ended after Trump agreed to fund the government without any funds for the wall.

February 2019: Trump meets with Kim Jong Un in Hanoi.

In February 2019, Trump met with Kim Jong Un in Hanoi.

June 2019: Trump meets with Kim Jong Un in the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

In June 2019, Trump met with Kim Jong Un in the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

October 2019: Talks between US and North Korea break down.

In October 2019, talks between the U.S. and North Korea broke down and no denuclearization agreement was reached.

2019: Reduction in Press Briefings

In 2019, the first Trump presidency reduced formal press briefings to two.

January 2020: Trump considers cuts to Medicare and social safety-net programs

In January 2020, Trump expressed a willingness to consider cuts to Medicare and other social safety-net programs, going back on his 2016 campaign promises.

April 2020: Trump halted funding of the World Health Organization.

In April 2020, after weeks of attacks to draw attention away from his slow response to the Coronavirus, Trump halted funding of the World Health Organization.

May 2020: Twitter Fact-Checks

In May 2020, Twitter began attaching fact-checks to tweets in which Donald Trump made false claims, leading to his threat to regulate or shut down social media platforms.

August 2020: Trump Officially Becomes Republican Nominee

In August 2020, Donald Trump officially became the Republican nominee for the presidential election.

2020: Trump hosts signing of the Abraham Accords.

In 2020, Trump hosted the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalize their foreign relations.

February 2021: Trump Registers Trump Media & Technology Group

In February 2021, Donald Trump registered a new company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), for providing "social networking services" to U.S. customers.

2021: Refugee admissions reduced to record lows.

By 2021, Trump reduced the number of refugees admitted to record lows, from an annual limit of 110,000 before he took office to 15,000.

2021: End of Trump's Presidential Term

In 2021, Donald Trump's term as the 45th President of the United States came to an end.

2021: Trump resigned from SAG-AFTRA

In 2021, Donald Trump, who had been a member since 1989, resigned from SAG-AFTRA to avoid a disciplinary hearing regarding the January 6 attack. Two days later, the union permanently barred him.

February 2022: Launch of Truth Social

In February 2022, Donald Trump launched his own social media platform, Truth Social.

November 2022: Trump Announces Candidacy for 2024 Presidential Election

In November 2022, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election and created a fundraising account.

November 2022: Reinstatement on Twitter

In November 2022, Elon Musk reinstated Donald Trump's Twitter account after acquiring the platform.

January 2023: Return to Facebook and Instagram

In January 2023, Meta Platforms' two-year ban lapsed, allowing Donald Trump to return to Facebook and Instagram.

March 2024: TMTG Merges and Becomes Public Company

In March 2024, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) merged with Digital World Acquisition and became a public company.

November 2024: Trump Wins 2024 Election

In November 2024, Donald Trump won the election with 312 electoral votes, becoming the second president in U.S. history to be elected to a nonconsecutive second term.

2024: Value of Eastern Air Lines Shuttle purchase

In 1988, Donald Trump purchased the Eastern Air Lines Shuttle, financing the purchase with $380 million, equivalent to $1010 million in 2024.

2024: Conviction and Election

In 2024, Donald Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records, becoming the first U.S. president convicted of a felony. He won the 2024 presidential election against Kamala Harris.

2024: Trump's Candidacy in the 2024 Presidential Election

In November 2022, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.

January 20, 2025: Trump Begins Second Term

On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump began his second term upon his inauguration, becoming the oldest individual to assume the presidency and the first president with a felony conviction.

February 2025: Meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy

In February 2025, Donald Trump and Vice President Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. The televised meeting was described as contentious, involving a public confrontation between Trump and Zelenskyy.

February 2025: Appointment of Elon Musk

In February 2025, the White House announced that Elon Musk was a special government employee leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), granting him access to multiple federal agencies. Trump's cabinet selections prioritized loyalty, and he appointed 23 former Fox News employees to his administration.

2025: Executive Orders and Clemency

In 2025, after taking office, Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, some mirroring Project 2025 proposals, and granted clemency to January 6 rioters. These actions faced legal challenges and were criticized for potentially violating federal laws and contributing to democratic backsliding.