Never Before Seen Images From Trump’s Past
A successful real estate businessman by the name of Donald Trump would go on to fulfill the role as the 45th president of the United States. You may ask yourself how this boy raised in Queens went on to be one of the most powerful men in the world. Well, his fate all began with Trump’s very successful grandfather. This legacy was passed to Trump’s father, Fred. However, pay attention to what Donald Trump did with this fortune. Take a look at these photos of the young boy growing up in New York. With these images, you can learn about his past and see how he expanded the family fortune to become the success that he is today.
A Little Boy
On June 14, 1946, Donald Trump was born to the parents, Fred Trump and Mary Anne MacLeod. They were married for nearly a decade when they had Donald, at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, New York. He was the fourth of five children, and his father’s family came from Germany and his mother’s friend Scottland. His grandfather who started the fortune immigrated to the U.S. in 1885 at the age of 16. It wasn’t until 1892, that he became a citizen. From the moment he stepped in the business he was skilled in his work and managed to expand the Trump family fortune, by establishing “boomtown” restaurants and boarding houses in the West. He posted this photo displaying him as a child and wrote, “Who knew this innocent kid would grow into a monster?” Interestingly humor he certainly has!
A Little Boy
Siblings
The entire Trump family inherited quite a lot because of their grandfather. He married Elisabeth Christ in 1902 and resettled in New York in 1905. There they had their first son, Fred, who joined the family real estate business when he was 15. Several years later, Fred and his mother created Trump & Son. This establishment operated out of Queens and Brooklyn. Fred married Mary Anne MacLeod in 1936, and five children together. Ever since he was little, Donald was the rule follower out of his siblings. Below is a photo of the children together. On the far left is Donald, beside him is his older brother Fred Jr., his older sister Elizabeth, his eldest sister Maryanne, and his younger brother Robert is on the far right.
Siblings
Boarding School
Donald attended a school by the name of Kew-Forest School from grades kindergarten through seventh. It was located in Queens and was a college preparatory school. When he was just 13 he was sent off to attend the New York Military Acadamy, which was a private boarding school located in Cornwall. This came about after he was lying to his parents, and going on frequent secretive trips to Manhatten. He was very popular at school and here’s a photo of him there. He captioned it,“#TBT My confirmation picture at First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, N.Y.”
Boarding School
Love of Sports
Trump was engaged in many sports activities while attending the Military Academy. He was a big man, 6″2., and played football, tennis, squash, and golf! Some photos show he was on the varsity baseball team. He gave up most of the sports later on but golf became a staple for him.
Love Of Sports
Football
Trump was a football player during his time at NYMA. He loved sports so much and even became the owner of a football team later in his life. He tried to run an American football league that would be part of the National Football League.
Football
Proud Parents
Trump shared this photo to his Facebook and wrote “#TBT Myself with mother and father at New York Military Academy. See, I can be very military. High rank!” While he was bragging about being in the military, he has received five draft deferments from serving in Vietnam. Four of which occured while he was in college. The fifth came about after being diagnosed with bone spurs in his heels. However, the diagnosis has been recently suspicious and, the diagnoses were just done as a favor to Fred since he was the podiatrist’s landlord.
Proud Parents
The Beat Of His Own Drum
Trump is the kind of man who likes things done how he wants them. He posted a photo of him in a uniform at the NYMA. In the past, he stated that the uniform made him “very military,” even though he did not serve in the military. However, years later this became controversial when he condemned senator John McCain for being captured and held in prison during the Vietnam War. Trump admitted that he didn’t even consider McCain a war hero and said: “I like people that weren’t captured.”
The Beat Of His Own Drum
Graduate
Trump graduated from the NYMA in May 1964 and enrolled at Fordham University that fall. He studied there for two years and then switched to Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated with a bachelor of science in economics in 1968. This is a photo of him from the yearbook in his senior year in 1964. After Trump announced he was running for the presidency, the NY Daily News posted a photo on their front page pointing out his criticism of Senator McCain. They mocked him for medals and saif they were probably for being “neat” at school.
Graduate
College Graduate
This is when Donald graduated from Wharton. You can see him with his father, Fred Trump. He posted this photo on Facebook and explained how his father kept up the family’s success by building and selling thousands of homes, barracks, and apartments in NY. Nearly three years later he became the president of E. Trump & Son, which would be changed to the Trump Organization.
College Graduate
Brooklyn, 1975
Trump captioned this photo on Facebook saying, “#TBT With my father, Fred Trump, in Brooklyn,1975. A great Father’s Day gift—a stay at my 5-star hotel”. This was a joyous moment for the father and son. Unfortunately, later that year Trump had a lawsuit with the Justice Department because their company discriminated against potential African-American renters. The department said that the Trump Organization was choosing people based on race instead of economic status. This was not the first time Trump was involved in a racial discrimination case. In 1969 they were sued by the management of a property they owned in Cincinnati, Ohio. However, Fred was intent on solving it silently.
Brooklyn, 1975
Father and Son
In 1982, Donald Trump and his father appeared on Forbes’s richest Americans. Together they had a combined fortune of $200 billion. Fred began Donald’s career by placing a trust fund of $1 million in each of his children and grandchildren’s accounts. Don’t be fooled because Trump would not be happy with a fortune of $200 million.
Father And Son
The Business
Throughout the 1980s Trump created a huge fortune for himself. In 1989 he was listed on Forbes billionaires list and later on Jonathan Greenberg, a reporter for Forbes said that he thought Trump was messing with him about how much money his family had just to make the list. It didn’t take long till Trump joined the billionaire list. Unfortunately, from 1990 to 1995, he started to lose business, which kept him off the list. Here Trump is showing off his failed attempt to build the New York City convention center, “#TBT As a young man when I proposed the Convention Center in New York City.”
The Business
Trump Tower
While his fortune was expanding, Trump wanted to make a name for himself in New York City history. He did this by trying to change the skyline. He encouraged the development of Trump Tower and after some time it was approved and created. In 1983 he created the construction and here you can see him holding the model for the Fifth Avenue complex. One of the apartment were on sale for $11 million and four different people were bidding for it, none of which was American.
Trump Tower
Ivana Zelníčková
Already in 1978, Trump established the Manhatten real estate business that would later lead to him being a billionaire. He purchased a 50% stake in the deteriorated Commodore Hotel near to the Grand Central Terminal. He reopened the hotel in 1980 but now as the Grand Hyatt Hotel. However, Trump wasn’t just focused on business and he was on the market for love! He tied the knot in 1977 with the chezch model Ivana Zelníčková and had three children together. However, after an affair with Marla Maples, the two divorced in 1992.
Ivana Zelníčková
First-Born Son
Here’s a photo of Donald with his first child. They went on to have two more children, Ivanka, born in 1981, and Eric, born in 1984. While everything was going great for Donald, unfortunately, his brother Fred Trump Jr died from alcoholism, which led him to abandon alcohol and cigarettes entirely.
First Born Son
Team Owner
In 1983, he purchased the United States Football team, the New Jersey Generals. He also persuaded the Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker to the USFL. Then in 1985, he got Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie. Unfortunately, before the 1986 season, he USFL conceded when they lost an antitrust case against the National Football League.
Team Owner
‘The Art of the Deal’
Donald created the Donald J. Trump Foundation in 1988 as a way to give proceeds from his most famous book, The Art of the Deal. He donated the profits to many healthcare and sports associated charities, in addition to conservative political groups. Trump posted this with his father who was also his best friend, hero and role model.
‘The Art Of The Deal’
Wollman Rink Renovation
New York City awarded Donald a contract to renovate Wollman Rink in Central Park. This decision occured after a good amount of bureaucracy, missing deadlines, and over-budgeting. The renovations were finished at the end of December 1986 and Trump made sure his mark was present by leaving his logo around the rink. He donated some of the profits to more charity organizations.
Wollman Rink Renovation
Fred Trump
In 1999, Trump’s father Fred passed away and his will equally separated $20 million amongst his children. Here’s Trump next to his father outside the skating rink. He wrote, #PresidentTrump with his father Fred #Trump at the Wollman Rink in #CentralPark, #NYC – in 1987. #POTUS45 #ThrowbackThursday #TBT”
Fred Trump
Marla Maples
After his divorce, Trump remarried to a woman named Marla Maples. The two met in 1989 and had a very public affair while he was married to Ivana. They had one daughter together named Tiffany, after the famous jewelry brand. She was born in October 1993, and two months later Donald and Marla got married at the Plaza Hotel, which Trump had previously purchased. He sold the hotel in 1995 after he transformed it into a four-star hotel.
Marla Maples
The Kids
This throwback was taken 20 years ago and is of Trump and his children. The three went on to inherit a large fortune and eventually worked for their father’s business. Following in their daddy’s footsteps!
The Kids
‘Lost City’
Trump created a model of “Television City,” which he hoped would take over NBC news and other TV studios. This model he made was based on a 150-story building, making it the tallest building in the world. Unfortunately, he plans took a turn and he received a lot of criticsm from the development area. Various architects said the idea was simplistic and unassociated to the street style. Also, Mayor Ed Koch said he would provide Tax breaks to NBC if they moved their studio but not to Trump. Trump retaliated with name-calling and was downhill from there.
‘Lost City’
Branching Out
Here’s a great picture of Trump going out of the family business. This photo was taken after the NY Board of Estimate agreed to his play to buy and refurbish the abandoned Commodore Hotel. This is what started his real estate business. While he did begin with a $70 million loan from Fred Trump and the Hyatt Hotel Chain, to this day he says be built it all on his own.
Branching Out
Trump Tower Completion
When the Commodore Hotel was finished by renovated, the city also agreed to Trump’s rights to create the Trump Tower in Midtown Manhatten. To finish the project, he hired illegal Polish workers to destroy the old Bonwit Teller retailer flagship store. It was well known for its art-deco features and was meant to be preserved by the city. The Trump Tower was finished in four years and finally opened in November 1983. Today, the building has many residential and commercial areas. The most famous spaces are Trump’s penthouse, and the Trump Organization headquarters.
Trump Tower Completion
Trump Tower Opening
In 1983 the Trump Tower hosted its opening. Her Trump is alongside his dear friend and lawyer, Roy Cohen. They have quite the history together since Cohn was his lawyer in a federal lawsuit against the Justice Department. However, his efforts were unsuccessful and he settled the case outside the courtroom. Then in 1978, Trump returned to court for violating the terms they agreed on. This time he requested legal aid from his friend.
Trump Tower Opening
Expansion
In 1984 Trump posed with the Trump Tower and told reporters, “What I have done is build the most beautiful buildings in the best locations.” He had a name for himself already and in the early 1990s, he decided to renovate the Gulf and Western Building on Columbus Circle and the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building at 40 Wall Street. This was a long process and afterward was renamed to Trump Building. Besides, Trump attempted to rename the Empire State Building when he bought shares from 1994 to 2002. He was hoping to change it to the “Trump Empire State Building Tower Apartments.”
Expansion
Unhappy
In 1986, Trump was forced to pay a $750,000 penalty to handle an antitrust lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission. This was because he did not tell the government before he bought over $15 million worth of voting stock in Holiday Corp. and Bally Manufacturing Corp. Although it was a huge amount of money, he was still well off. He also became the owner of an estate in Palm Beach, Florida that is now known as Mar-a-Lago estate.
Unhappy
A Gamble
Trump was not entirely satisfied with his business endeavors and started making his name known around New Jersey. In 1977, the state legalized casino gambling and Trump was ready for business opportunities. He opened Harrah’s at Trump Plaza hotel and casino and went on to purchase more casino properties in Atlantic City. Eventually, this would be financial disasters.
A Gamble
Happier Times
Here are Donald and Fred Trump’s photos with the New York City Mayor Ed Koch in July 1982. They were so happy at the time the photo was taken but soon afterward Trump’s casino projects would be unsuccessful. While he was trying to buy new properties, he saw bad financial performances, which forced him to sell his airline, Trump Shuttle. He also improves his debt by selling his mega-yacht called Trump Princess. All of his casino properties went through bankruptcy restructuring in 2004 and 2009.
Happier Times
Football Fan
Trump had more failed attempts in New Jersey aside from the Atlantic City casinos. He employed Walt Michaels as the Leading Coach for Trump’s the United States Football League Team, the New Jersey Generals. He bought the team in 1983 with the wish that they would transform the league into a professional contender. Unfortunately, he made an error that ruined this completely. While many teams were losing money, Trump was hoping to change the team’s schedule from spring/summer to fall/winter so it would compete with the NFL. An antitrust lawsuit was filed by the USFL against the NFL and was awarded only $1. At that time, teams could not keep up with the costs of running their organizations or compete with the NFL’s schedule, so the league was broken.
Football Fan
The Penthouse
While you are probably aware of Trump’s eye for detail and aesthetic preferences, this is actually in St. Petersburg, Russia with his wife Ivana at the time. He has always had a relationship with the Soviet Nation and he traveled there to look into creating a hotel in Russia. The Ambassador Yuri Dubinin invited him there in 1987. A decade later, Trump went on to create more real estate deals and denies his relationship with Russia. His lies were proven false when he made a deal to establish a building in Moscow in June 2012. He also received support in the 1990s from a source in Russia when he had a bit of financial bad luck.
The Penthouse
Red Carpet
At one point Donald Trump was seen all over red carpets. He was the face of New York elites since the day he was born. He was also featured in several films, usually playing himself. His fame increased after NBC brought him to the Apprentice in 2003. It was a popular show and he adapted the signature line, “You’re fired.”
Red Carpet
Florida Friends
Today Trump typically attacks celebrities against his presidency but it wasn’t like this before. Throughout the years he has distanced from many famous people, but one friend is still around. Here is trump with Jeffrey Epstein in 1997 at Trump’s resort in Florida. They were friends for nearly a decade and Trump told NY magazine that Epstein was a great guy and likes beautiful women the same way he does. He also commented that most of these women are young.
Florida Friends
Friends Like These
The comment that they are on the young side was scrutinized in 2019 since Epstein was also arrested for sex trafficking minors in Florida and New York. There have been many rumors about his pedophilia and the two used to party together all the time. They eventually had a falling out and entered a bidding war in 2004 for the Maison de l’Amitie. In the end, Trump was successful in the competition and since then the two haven’t spoken. Ironically, Trump sold the estated to Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev.
Friends Like These
Dreams
In 1983, the official portrait for Donald was photographed. This reminds us of a time where Trump’s name was not all over headlines. This picture was also taken the year Trump was listed on Forbe’s list of wealthy people because he had a share of the Trump company. He was taken off the list after his 1980 losses but now he has surely made a comeback. In 2019 he was ranked for having a net worth of $3.1 billion, the 29th highest in the US. He also was the first billionaire president, but ever since he lost his run for presidency he lost 31% of his wealth.
Dreams
‘Ladies’ Man’
Donald was part of the New York Militar Academy and was involved in many school functions, teams, and clubs. Here is a photo of him from the school yearbook. Trump was referred to as a “Ladies Man.” It took nearly 50 years to find the woman in the photo but eventually, she was found. Her name was Fran Dunn and she was the secretary at the school. This was not the last time he was referred to as a ladies man.
‘Ladies’ Man’
At The Mar-A-Lago
In 1985, Donald Trump acquired Mar-a-Lago at a price of around $10 million. Ivana Trump, his wife at the time, was charged with running the property. Through both his divorces, Trump retained Mar-a-Lago. In a separate, closed-off region of the house and grounds, his family maintains private quarters. In the image, you could see Donald Trump spending time inside the Mar-A-Lago with his second wife, Marla Maples. They divorced after six years of being married and have a daughter named Tiffany.
At The Mar A Lago
Real Estate
There is no doubt that Donald Trump is a serious man especially when it comes to business, and real estate was no exception to that! His expertise in real estate meant that he knew how he could work his way up and can ensure sealing a deal with some of the most elite clients that he would ever have. You can see in the image just how serious he was with his job.
Real Estate
With His Baby
Donald John Trump Jr. is an American businessman and former reality television personality. He is the eldest child of US president Donald Trump and businesswoman Ivana Trump. Because Donald Jr. is his first child, there is no doubt that he was very happy to have a son and we can clearly see in this image just how much he loves his firstborn.
With His Baby
In A Birthday Party
Trump isn’t always spending his time doing business and attending meetings, he also attends birthday parties that his kids goes to! You can see that he has a soft side too as he went to the birthday party that his kids, Ivanka and Don Jr., attended. While we are not sure if he would be casually attending birthday parties like that nowadays, it is still nice to know that he went with his kids at this birthday party.
In A Birthday Party
Taking Care Of Baby Don
Like we have previously mentioned, Donald Trump really loves his kids and as you can see in the image below, here he was spending time with baby Don Jr., and it seems like he was having trouble making him fall asleep! Papa Trump here is a bit sleepy and it looks like baby Trump isn’t falling asleep anytime soon!
Taking Care Of Baby Don
Not Camera Shy
Being the public person that he is, we can say that Donald Trump is a celebrity of some sort, and we could see that he is not afraid of the camera as he appears at the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1988, and although many people know he has been eyeing the Oval Office for a couple of election cycles, you may be surprised to learn just how far back his presidential aspirations reach.
Not Camera Shy
Ivana And Donald In Their Early Years
Ivana is known by people to be Donald’s first wife. She was a businesswoman, media personality, fashion designer, author, and former model. During the 70s, she lived in Canada before she left the country and headed to the United States where she married Donald Trump on April 7 of 1977. The two of them filed for divorce in 1992, in which the media talked about a lot about their separation.
Ivana And Donald In Their Early Years
Relaxing At The Mar-A-Lago
Being a businessman can be an exhausting job, talking to a lot of people, making sure that they would understand what you are saying, there is no doubt that even if you are the most sociable person in the world, talking to a lot of people and trying to secure a deal with them can definitely exhaust you, and Donald is not an exception! You can see in the picture that he is having a much-needed rest at the Mar-A-Lago.
Relaxing At The Mar A Lago
Watching Ivanka Cut Her Cake
Fathers love to take care of their children and seeing their kids happy would most certainly make them happy as well. you can see that Donald Trump is enjoying spending his time with his family as his daughter, Ivanka, is celebrating her birthday of October 30. They must be having a blast as all of them are smiling while Ivanka was cutting her birthday cake. This makes for a good photo doesn’t it?
Watching Ivanka Cut Her Cake
Together With His Mother
No matter how busy he is, he still made sure that he could spend some time with his mother during Christmas! Mary Trump was a Scottish-American homemaker and philanthropist known for being the mother of Donald Trump and the wife of real estate developer Fred Trump. Donald’s mother passed away on August 7, 2000.
Together With His Mother
Going To The Skis
Donald and his family always made sure to spend quality time together, and as you can see, they were having a lot of fun by spending time together at the ski! Donald could be seen sporting a cap and an outfit appropriate for the snowy slopes. Donald, Ivana, and Ivanka were posing together for a beautiful family picture.
Going To The Skis
Holding Ivanka At The Snow
Ivanka was definitely too young to be brought out in the snowy slopes, but there is no denial that she and her father looked adorable in their picture together! Although we don’t know how old Ivanka was at the time, it is safe to say that her parents loved her so much as they took her out as they went skiing!
Holding Ivanka At The Snow
Daddy Duties
Being busy making deals, talking to a lot of people, and doing a lot of stuff is not an excuse to not take care of your beloved children. In this picture, you could see that Donald is doing his duties as a father by changing Donald Jr.’s diapers himself! Goes to show that he would always make time for his kids.
Daddy Duties
Posing For A Picture With Her Daughter
Although we don’t know whose birthday is it, there is no doubt that Donald and her daughter look good together in this image as they pose for a picture with little Ivanka wearing a cute pink party hat. They father-daughter duo certainly look good in pictures together!
Posing For A Picture With Her Daughter
Relaxing In A Robe
Here is another image of Donald Trump that has probably not been seen by most people before as it was one of the images that were taken during his early years! In this image, you can see him posing for the camera as he was wearing a comfortable robe on top of the bed.
Relaxing In A Robe