The image above shows a young boy with light blonde hair and striking blue eyes, wearing a plaid collared shirt. The caption claims that this child grew up to become “the most famous man on earth.”
That boy is Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th President of the United States. Born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, New York, he was the fourth of five children born to Fred and Mary Anne Trump .
Part 1: A Childhood in Queens
Donald Trump grew up in a wealthy enclave of Queens, New York. His father, Fred Trump, was a successful real estate developer who built affordable housing for middle-class families. The family lived in a 23-room, red-brick mansion in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood, complete with a chauffeur, a maid, and two Cadillacs .
Despite the family’s wealth, the Trump children were expected to work. Donald delivered newspapers and took summer jobs. The household was described as strict, where swearing was forbidden .
Even as a child, Trump was known for his confident and sometimes rebellious personality. He attended the private Kew-Forest School in Queens, where he gained a reputation for “disrupting class with wisecracks and unruly behavior.” He once punched his music teacher because he “didn’t think he knew anything about music” .
Part 2: From Military School to Wharton
At age 13, Trump’s parents sent him to the New York Military Academy (NYMA) in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, after his behavior became difficult to manage. He attended from 1959 to 1964 .
At NYMA, Trump thrived. He was known as “D.T.” to his classmates and became a cadet captain. He played on the varsity baseball, football, and soccer teams, winning three varsity letters. He also won the “Neatness and Order” medal and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. His baseball coach said he was scouted by the Boston Red Sox .
After graduating in 1964, Trump attended Fordham University in the Bronx for two years before transferring to the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in economics .
During the Vietnam War, Trump received four student deferments. In 1968, he was diagnosed with bone spurs, which qualified him for a medical exemption from the military draft .
Part 3: Building the Trump Empire
After graduating from Wharton, Trump joined his father’s real estate business. He helped manage the family’s residential housing projects in Brooklyn and Queens before taking control of the company in 1971, renaming it The Trump Organization .
Trump shifted the family business from residential units to glitzy Manhattan projects. He transformed the rundown Commodore Hotel into the Grand Hyatt and built Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. Other properties followed, including Trump Place, Trump World Tower, and Trump International Hotel and Tower. There are Trump Towers in Mumbai, Istanbul, and the Philippines .
His business career also included casinos, which led to four bankruptcy filings for those businesses .
Part 4: The Reality TV Star
In 2003, Trump debuted the NBC reality television show The Apprentice, where contestants competed for a management job within his organization. He hosted the show for 14 seasons .
The show helped solidify his public image. Trump biographer Gwenda Blair told CBC Kids News that “people saw him as the definition of success” . Contestants recalled that the boardroom scenes were “100 percent ad lib” and reflected his natural talents .
His catchphrase “You’re fired!” became part of popular culture, and the show’s success helped pave the way for his political ambitions .
Part 5: From Businessman to President
Trump first expressed interest in running for president as early as 1987. In June 2015, he formally announced his candidacy as a Republican .
Running under the banner “Make America Great Again,” Trump focused on immigration, trade, and the economy. On November 8, 2016, he defeated Hillary Clinton to become the 45th President of the United States. The victory was described as a “stunning repudiation of the establishment” .
He served from 2017 to 2021. In 2024, he ran again and defeated Vice President Kamala Harris. He became the first president since Grover Cleveland in the late 19th century to be elected to two non-consecutive terms .
Part 6: A Life in the Spotlight
From his childhood in Queens to his years as a businessman, television personality, and two-time president, Donald Trump has spent most of his life in the public eye. The photograph of him as a young boy offers a rare glimpse into his early years, long before he became a household name.
