Donald Trump

Donald John Trump, Sr. (born June 14, 1946) is an American business magnate, author, and television personality. He is the Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization, a real-estate developer based in the United States. Trump is also the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which operates numerous casinos and hotels across the world. Trump's extravagant lifestyle and outspoken manner have made him a celebrity for years, and more recently with his NBC reality show, The Apprentice, where he serves as host and executive producer. Trump has expressed interest in becoming a candidate for President of the United States in 2012.

Trump is the fourth of five children of Fred Trump, a real-estate developer based in New York City and real-estate tycoon. Donald was inspired to follow his father into real-estate development, and began working on projects for his father's real-estate firm while still in college. Upon his graduation from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, Trump formally joined his father's company, Elizabeth Trump & Son. He took the helm in 1971 and renamed it The Trump Organization.

Trump has said that he is seriously considering running for President of the United States in the 2012 election.

In his primary campaign, Trump has made an energetic investigation of a presidential candidacy, including a February speech to a CPAC gathering, an early venue for candidates considering a presidential run, as a write-in candidate in its straw poll for the office. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released in March 2011 found Donald Trump leading among potential contenders for the Republican nomination for President of the United States, one point ahead of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. A Newsweek poll conducted February 2011 showed Trump within a few points of Obama, with many voters undecided in the November 2012 general election for President of the United States against Barack Obama. A poll released in April 2011 by Public Policy Polling showed Trump having a nine point lead in a potential contest for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.

Trump's present political stances include the following:

Pro-life

Against same-sex marriage

Anti-gun control

Advocates for the repeal and replacement of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

With Trump expected to make a decision by June 2011, his campaign has been reported by some media as a possible promotional tool for his reality show The Apprentice. Time.com had the headline "Donald Trump Begins Not Running For President" and the Huffington Post was similarly skeptical of whether he would run.

Regardless of this skepticism, Trump has quietly chosen to participate in the “Politics and Eggs” forum at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, a popular spot for presidential candidates visiting New Hampshire. This scheduled visit is important because the event is taking place in mid June of 2011, supposedly after Trump had been supposed to make his decision whether to or not to run.

On April 23, 2011, the New York-based TV station NY1 reported that Trump had not voted in primary elections in New York City for a span of 21 years, beginning after the city's mayoral primary in 1989, an accusation he has denied. A City election board spokeswoman confirmed the story.

Trump is popularly known as The Donald, a nickname given to him by the media after his first wife Ivana Trump, a native of the Czech Republic, referred to him as such in an interview. Trump is also known for his catchphrase, "You're fired", made popular by his television series The Apprentice, and his "possibly unprecedented" double comb over hairstyle in a "lattice-like structure, which he has refused to change throughout his career. While it has been reported that Trump does not shake hands because of fear of germs, he claims this phobia is "a rumor that the enemies say," and shook hands repeatedly in public during a visit to New Hampshire in April 2011.

Statements regarding Barack Obama

Speaking to an audience in Boca Raton, Florida on April 16, 2011, Trump made the analogy that voter reaction to former United States president George W. Bush's performance in office was a reason for the election of his successor Barack Obama and further that Obama would be known as the worst President in U.S. history.

Trump has promoted the conspiracy theories about Obama's citizenship status in media appearances, and he has received criticism for his position. In an NBC-TV interview broadcast on April 7, 2011, Trump said he would not let go of the issue, because he was not satisfied that Obama had proven his citizenship.

Trump has received criticism from both the right and the left in the media for his stance. Bob Schieffer of CBS News, Whoopi Goldberg of The View, Bill O'Reilly, and Carol Costello of CNN, have criticized his claims.

On April 25, 2011 on Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN, Trump said he wanted Obama to end the issue by releasing a long form Certificate of Live Birth (distinct from the short form Certification of Live Birth, which is Hawaii's prima facie evidence of birth). However, on April 22, 2011, Obama requested that the Hawaii Board of Health release a certified copy of his long-form birth certificate to him which they granted through special waivers.

Many developers pay Donald Trump to market their properties and be the public face for their projects. For that reason, Trump does not own many of the buildings that display his name. According to Forbes, this portion of Trump's empire, actually run by his children, is by far his most valuable with a valuation of $562 million. According to Forbes, there are 33 licensing projects under development including seven "condo hotels" (i.e. The seven Trump International Hotel and Tower developments). Some examples are:

Trump Palace: 200 East 69th Street, New York, NY.

Trump Parc and Trump Parc East: Two adjoining buildings on Central Park South on the southwest corner of The Avenue of the Americas. Trump Parc East is a 14-story apartment building and Trump Parc (the former Barbizon Plaza Hotel) is a 38-story condominium building.

Trump Plaza: 167 East 61st Street, New York, NY (39-story, Y-shaped plan condominium building on the Upper East Side)

610 Park Avenue (The old Mayfair Hotel): Trump is helping with the construction and development of this property for Colony Capital.

Trump SoHo Hotel Condominium: A partnership with Bayrock Group to build a 42 story building in Soho.

Trump Plaza (Jersey City): The project includes New Jersey's two tallest residential towers and costs about $450 million. The 55-story tower will have 445 condos, and the 50-story tower will have 417.

Trump Plaza (New Rochelle) is a 39-story luxury residence and hotel with retail space that is currently under construction in Westchester County, NY with developer Louis R. Cappelli.

Trump Tower at City Center is a 35-story condominium apartment building built in Westchester County, New York with developer Louis R. Cappelli.

Trump Parc Stamford is a development in Stamford, Connecticut with F. D. Rich Company and Louis R. Cappelli.

Trump International Hotel and Tower Fort Lauderdale (Official Site), Anticipated completion is 2007.

Trump Towers (Sunny Isles Beach, Florida): will have over 270 residential condominiums.

Trump Grande Ocean Resort and Residences: A hotel condominium (Trump International Sonesta Beach) and two residential condominium towers (Trump Palace and Trump Royale) located in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida with fellow Forbes 400 member Jorge Perez.

Trump Hollywood: A 40-story building on Hollywood Beach, Florida with fellow Forbes 400 member Jorge Perez.

Trump Tower (Palm Beach) will be a 23-story residential condominium development.