Donald Trump was born in 1946 on June 14. He arrived at Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York, as the fourth child of real estate developer Fred Trump and Scottish immigrant Mary Anne MacLeod Trump.
His birth year puts him at the front edge of the American post-World War II baby boom. That generational backdrop, paired with his father's outer-borough housing empire, shaped the aggressive business tactics and political style he later brought to national prominence. Understanding his early years explains how a suburban Queens upbringing converted into decades of Manhattan real estate deals, media branding, and ultimately the U.S. presidency.
Early Family Background: The Queens Upbringing
Donald Trump grew up in Jamaica Estates, an affluent neighborhood in Queens. His father, Fred Trump, had built a massive real estate business during the 1930s and 1940s, constructing middle-class single-family houses and apartment buildings across Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. His mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, had emigrated from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland in 1930 and worked as a domestic servant before marrying Fred in 1936. To read more about the context here, Associated Press provides an informative breakdown.
The Trump household held five children:
- Maryanne Trump Barry (1937–2023), who served as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
- Fred Trump Jr. (1938–1981), an airline pilot whose battle with alcoholism led to his early death, influencing Donald Trump's lifelong choice to avoid alcohol and cigarettes.
- Elizabeth Trump Grau (born 1942), who worked in executive banking.
- Donald John Trump (born 1946), the 45th and 47th President of the United States.
- Robert Trump (1948–2020), who spent his career as a top executive within the family business.
The family lived in a five-bedroom Tudor house on Warham Place until 1950, when Fred built a 23-room mansion nearby on Midland Parkway. Despite the wealth, the environment was strictly disciplined. Fred expected his sons to learn the construction trade from the ground up, sending them to collect rents and clean up job sites after school.
Fred Trump (1905–1999) === Mary Anne MacLeod (1912–2000)
|
+-----------------+-------+-------+-----------------+
| | | |
Maryanne Fred Jr. Elizabeth Donald Robert
(1937–2023) (1938–1981) (b. 1942) (b. 1946) (1948–2020)
Education and Military Academy Years
Trump began his formal education at the Kew-Forest School, a private day school in Forest Hills, Queens. Teachers and classmates recalled an energetic child who often clashed with authority. By age 13, his parents decided he needed stricter boundary enforcement.
In 1959, Donald's father enrolled him in the New York Military Academy (NYMA) in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. The boarding school relied on military-style drill routines, physical punishment, and rigid rank structures.
During his five years at NYMA, Trump adapted quickly:
- He achieved the cadet rank of captain during his senior year.
- He lettered in varsity baseball, soccer, and football.
- He earned top marks in dorm room inspection, gaining a reputation for immaculate discipline in his personal quarters.
He graduated from NYMA in 1964 and enrolled at Fordham University in the Bronx. After two years of undergraduate study at Fordham, he transferred to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which offered one of the nation's few specialized undergraduate real estate programs. He earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from Wharton in May 1968.
Early Career and the Move to Manhattan
While studying at Wharton, Trump was already working for his father's company, Elizabeth Trump & Son. His first major project was taking over the turnaround of Swifton Village, a 1,200-unit foreclosed apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio. Working alongside his father, he supervised a $500,000 renovation project that raised occupancy from 34% to 100% within two years, selling the property in 1972 for a $6 million profit.
After graduating in 1968, Trump did not wait long to stake his own path separate from his father's outer-borough focus. He moved to Manhattan in 1971, taking an apartment on 75th Street.
Key moves from his early business years include:
- Renaming the Business: He took full operational control in 1971 and rebranded the company as The Trump Organization.
- The Commodore Hotel Project: In 1976, he partnered with the Hyatt Corporation to convert the decaying Commodore Hotel adjacent to Grand Central Terminal into the Grand Hyatt New York, securing a 40-year tax abatement from New York City.
- Trump Tower Development: In 1979, he bought the leasehold for the Bonwit Teller department store on Fifth Avenue, clearing the land to build the 58-story flagship Trump Tower, which opened in 1983.
Common Myths About Trump's Early Years
Several misconceptions persist about Trump's youth and early career.
Myth 1: He was born in Manhattan.
Fact: He was born in Queens at Jamaica Hospital and spent his entire childhood in Queens neighborhoods like Jamaica Estates and Forest Hills. He didn't live in Manhattan until 1971, when he was 25 years old.Myth 2: He started his real estate empire entirely on his own.
Fact: Trump received a $1 million loan from his father to begin his independent ventures, alongside access to his father's extensive credit lines, banking relationships, and political connections in New York City.Myth 3: He served in the military during the Vietnam War.
Fact: Trump received four academic deferments while attending college between 1964 and 1968. After graduating from Wharton, he was classified 1-Y (and later 4-F) due to a diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels, exempting him from the draft.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exact year was Donald Trump born?
Donald Trump was born in 1946.
How old was Donald Trump when he became President?
When he was sworn in for his first term on January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was 70 years old. That made him the oldest person to assume the presidency at the time, prior to Joe Biden taking office in 2021 at age 78.
Where did Donald Trump grow up?
He grew up in Jamaica Estates, a neighborhood in the borough of Queens, New York. He lived there until leaving for boarding school at age 13.
What degree did Donald Trump earn in college?
Trump earned a Bachelor of Science in economics with a specialization in real estate from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/angelina-jolie-marcheline-bertrand-5-c247f415ea5b4e2496e31fbe2d395410.jpg)
