Donald Trump: Career Timeline
Donald Trump's career is one of the most documented and most contested in modern American history. He built a Manhattan real estate empire, hosted a top-rated reality show, served one term as the 45th President of the United States, lost his 2020 re-election bid, became the first former president convicted of a felony, won a non-consecutive second term in 2024, and was inaugurated as the 47th President on January 20, 2025. The timeline below tracks the moments that mattered, with citations to primary or strong secondary sources for each one.
Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, New York.
Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, New York. He is the fourth of five children of Fred Trump, a Brooklyn and Queens real estate developer, and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump [1, 2]. He attended the Kew-Forest School and then the New York Military Academy.
Trump enrolled at Fordham University, then transferred to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1968 with a degree in economics [3, 1].
In 1968, Trump joined his father's company, Trump Management, which focused on middle-class rental housing in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
In 1968, Trump joined his father's company, Trump Management, which focused on middle-class rental housing in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. He took over the company in 1971 and renamed it The Trump Organization in 1973 [4].
In 1973, the U.S. Justice Department accused the Trump company of discriminating against African-American would-be renters under the Fair Housing Act. The company did not admit wrongdoing but settled the case in 1975 by agreeing to rent more apartments to Black tenants [2].
By the mid-1970s, Trump had branched into Manhattan, where his father's financial and political backing enabled his first deals. He opened the Grand Hyatt Hotel on East 42nd Street in 1980 in partnership with the Pritzker family, then Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in 1983 [4].
Through the 1980s and early 1990s, Trump expanded into Atlantic City casinos, including Trump Plaza, Trump Castle, and the Trump Taj Mahal, which opened in 1990.
Through the 1980s and early 1990s, Trump expanded into Atlantic City casinos, including Trump Plaza, Trump Castle, and the Trump Taj Mahal, which opened in 1990. Trump entities filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection six times between 1991 and 2009, with restructurings affecting the Taj Mahal in 1991, Trump Plaza Hotel in 1992, Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts in 2004, and Trump Entertainment Resorts in 2009 [4].
In the 1990s and 2000s, Trump shifted toward a licensing-driven business model, branding hotels, condominium towers, golf courses, and consumer products with his name while not always owning the underlying real estate [4].
Trump's media presence expanded throughout the 1990s through the bestselling 1987 book The Art of the Deal (co-written with Tony Schwartz), New York tabloid coverage, and appearances on talk shows and in films.
Trump's media presence expanded throughout the 1990s through the bestselling 1987 book The Art of the Deal (co-written with Tony Schwartz), New York tabloid coverage, and appearances on talk shows and in films. His entertainment career peaked with NBC's reality series The Apprentice, which premiered in 2004 with Trump as host and executive producer. The show and its spinoff, Celebrity Apprentice, ran on NBC from 2004 to 2015 and made Trump's catchphrase "You're fired" a cultural reference [2, 4]. Per Britannica, the show directly earned Trump nearly $200 million over the 16 years it was on the air [1].
Trump was a part-owner of the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe pageants from 1996 to 2015 [4].
On June 16, 2015, Trump announced his Republican primary campaign for president at Trump Tower in Manhattan with a speech in which he proposed building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico bo
On June 16, 2015, Trump announced his Republican primary campaign for president at Trump Tower in Manhattan with a speech in which he proposed building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and characterized some Mexican migrants in terms that drew widespread criticism, immediately defining the rhetorical style of his campaign [5, 6].
Over the following primary season, Trump defeated 16 other Republican candidates, including Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, Govs. Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and former Secretary of State Ben Carson. He accepted the Republican nomination on July 21, 2016, with running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence [4].
On November 8, 2016, Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in the general election, winning 304 electoral college votes to Clinton's 227 despite losing the popular vote by about 2.9 million votes [4].
Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017 [4].
Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017 [4]. Notable first-term actions and milestones include:
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed in December 2017, lowered corporate and individual income tax rates.
The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement (2017) and the Iran nuclear deal (2018).
Three Supreme Court appointments: Neil Gorsuch (2017), Brett Kavanaugh (2018), and Amy Coney Barrett (2020).
The renegotiation of NAFTA into the USMCA was signed in January 2020.
A federal trade war with China, including multiple rounds of tariffs.
The COVID-19 pandemic response, including Operation Warp Speed and a March 2020 national emergency declaration.
On December 18, 2019, the House voted to impeach Trump on two articles: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, in connection with allegations he conditioned Ukrainian military aid on investigations into Joe Biden [7]. The Senate acquitted him on both counts on February 5, 2020, with Sen. Mitt Romney becoming the first senator to vote to convict a president of his own party [7].
Trump lost the November 2020 election to Joe Biden by 306 electoral votes to 232, and by more than seven million votes in the popular vote [4].
Trump lost the November 2020 election to Joe Biden by 306 electoral votes to 232, and by more than seven million votes in the popular vote [4]. Trump did not concede and made repeated public claims that the election had been stolen, claims that were rejected in dozens of state and federal court cases and by his own Justice Department officials [8].
On January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol while Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote. Five people died in connection with the attack, and more than 140 police officers were injured [8].
On January 13, 2021, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump for "incitement of insurrection," making him the first U.S. president to be impeached twice. Ten House Republicans, including Liz Cheney, joined all Democrats in voting yes [9]. The Senate trial began February 9, 2021, after Trump had left office, and ended February 13, 2021, with a 57-43 vote to convict, ten votes short of the two-thirds majority required [9].
Between March 2023 and August 2023, Trump was indicted in four separate criminal cases:
Between March 2023 and August 2023, Trump was indicted in four separate criminal cases:
March 30, 2023: The Manhattan grand jury indicted him on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, related to hush money payments made to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels [10].
June 8, 2023: A federal grand jury in Florida indicted him on 37 counts related to the retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, in a case led by Special Counsel Jack Smith [11].
August 1, 2023: A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted him on four counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, also led by Smith [11].
August 14, 2023: A Fulton County, Georgia grand jury indicted him on 13 counts in a state racketeering case related to election interference, led by District Attorney Fani Willis [4].
On May 30, 2024, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts in the New York case, making him the first former U.S. president convicted of a felony [12]. Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the federal classified documents case on July 15, 2024 [11]. On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts [10].
On November 5, 2024, Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the general election, winning all seven battleground states, the popular vote, and 312 electoral votes [4].
On November 25, 2024, Jack Smith filed motions to drop both federal cases against Trump, citing Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president [11]. On January 10, 2025, Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an unconditional discharge in the New York case, meaning no fine, prison, or probation, but the conviction remained on his record [12].
Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President on January 20, 2025, becoming only the second U.S.
Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President on January 20, 2025, becoming only the second U.S. president, after Grover Cleveland in 1893, to serve non-consecutive terms [13]. He signed 26 executive orders on his first day, more than any president in recent history [14].
Notable second-term actions in the first year include:
January 20, 2025: Pardoned or commuted sentences for nearly all 1,500-plus individuals convicted of offenses related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack [15].
Establishment of DOGE: The Department of Government Efficiency, initially led by Elon Musk, was created to reduce federal staffing and regulation [16].
April 2, 2025: Announced "Liberation Day" tariffs imposing a 10 percent base tariff on nearly all imports and higher "reciprocal" tariffs on 57 countries under emergency powers [17].
February 2026: The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump that the IEEPA-based tariffs were unconstitutional, requiring the refund of roughly $166 billion collected from over 330,000 businesses [18].
As of April 2026, Trump was approximately 15 months into his second and constitutionally final term, which expires January 20, 2029. Per Ballotpedia, he had signed 243 executive orders, 57 memoranda, and 130 proclamations across his second term [19].