55 Little-Known Donald Trump Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published November 21, 2016Updated September 9, 2019

Donald Trump was already widely known in America, but his show, The Apprentice, catapulted him to world fame._[18]
Trump once proclaimed that he can get away with stretching the truth because in the end, "I have the goods. I have the best buildings. I have the best locations."_[18]
Although Trump's parents were considered rich, all of the Trump children held after-school jobs when they were young._[18]
As a second-grader, Trump was convinced that his music teacher at school didn't know what he was talking about, so he punched him in the face. The teacher ended up with a black eye, and Trump almost was expelled._[18]

Donald Trump pictured in his 1964 New York Military Academy yearbook

As a teenager, Trump was a troublemaker, so his parents sent him to military school in the hopes of reforming him._[15]
In 2016, the British Parliament debated whether to ban Donald Trump from visiting the U.K. An online petition that claimed Trump's comments about Muslims was hate speech prompted the exchange._[25]
Donald Trump ran for president in 2000 under the Reform Party. He wanted Oprah Winfrey as his running mate._[1]
Trump admits that he has a big ego. According to him, "Every successful person has."_[26]
As a child, Trump and his siblings were not allowed to own any pets._[26]
As a child, Donald asked to borrow his brother's blocks to build an extra tall skyscraper. After Donald finished with his construction, Donald glued the pieces together so he would never have to give them back._[26]
As a child, Trump attended Kew Forest, a private school. He finished in the bottom half of his elementary-school class and was a trouble-maker. His sister Maryanne noted that during this time, "He [Donald] was a brat."_[26]

From "Wrestlemania" to the White House

In 2007, Trump dumped thousands of dollars from the rafters of an WWF event to upstage Vince McMahon. The "Battle of Billionaires" followed, after which Trump won the right to shave McMahon's head._[17]
After college in 1968, Trump's doctor diagnosed him with bone spurs in his heels, granting him a coveted 1-Y medical deferment for the Vietnam War._[26]
Trump doesn't smoke or drink after watching his older brother, Freddy, struggle with addiction._[26]
Though Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy, he has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy six times._[19]
In 1973, the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the Trump organization for discriminating against African Americans. The case was settled out of court._[26]
Trump once complained that black accountants were counting his money. Trump continued to say that the only people he wanted counting his money at the Trump Plaza Hotel were "short guys who wear yarmulkes every day."_[16]

Frederick Christ "Fred" Trump made his fortune by building and selling housing for American soldiers and their families in World War II

Trump always highly regarded his parents. As Trump later noted, "My father was always the power and breadwinner, and my mother was the perfect housewife."_[26]
Approximately 200 Polish workers who were in the U.S. illegally helped build Trump Tower. They worked 12-hour shifts and were paid between $4-$5 an hour._[24]
A Scottish university stripped Donald Trump of an honorary degree they had given him after he called for Muslims to be banned from entering the U.S._[4]
Donald Trump is terrified of going bald and considers it a sign of weakness. He once commented that "the worst thing a man can do is go bald."_[16]
In 2007, Trump received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his role in NBC's The Apprentice._[3]
As a member of the "birther" movement, Trump sent investigators to Barack Obama's native Hawaii to back up Trump's claim that Obama wasn't born in the U.S. When Obama released his birth certificate in 2014, Trump called it Obama's "so-called birth certificate," or "whatever it was."_[3]
In 2004, Trump claimed that all of the women from his show, The Apprentice, flirted with him, but, he said, "that's to be expected."_[3]
Trumps hair has gained its own iconic status. To achieve this look, Trump blow dries his hair forward and then combs it backward._[3]

The enigma that is Donald's hair (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

As of 2016, at least 24 women have accused Donald Trump of inappropriate sexual behavior in several incidents over the last 30 years._[9]
A 2005 video showed Trump bragging about how he could just start kissing attractive women and grabbing their genitals just because he was famous._[9]
At 70 years old, Trump will be the oldest person ever to assume the presidency._[1]
In 2016, Forbes ranked Trump as the 336th wealthiest person in the world and 156th in the United States, at a net worth of $4.5 billion._[23]
Trump is the first billionaire president of the United States._[23]

Trump is a germaphobe and dislikes shaking hands (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Donald Trump admits that he is a "clean hands freak" and considers shaking hands as "one of the curses of American society." Trump doesn't even like pushing the ground floor elevator button because it has so many germs on it._[7]
Trump was born on June 14, 1946 in Jamaica, Queens, New York. He was the second youngest out of five children. Trump's oldest brother, Fred Jr. died in 1981 from alcoholism._[18]
Trump's paternal side is from Germany, and his maternal side is from Scotland. Trump's father was one of the biggest real estate developers in New York City._[18]
Trump's family were originally Lutherans, but his parents belonged to the Reformed Church in America._[26]
Trump's last name was originally spelled "Drumpf" or "Drumpft." It morphed into "Trump" during the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century._[8]
Trump once quipped that "I do play with bankruptcy laws---they are very good for me" as a way of cutting debt."_[12]
An avid golf-lover, Trump owns or manages about 18 courses. In 2015, his golf courses created about $382 million in revenue. _[20]
Trump has made cameo appearances in 12 films and 14 TV series. He also played an oil tycoon in The Little Rascals and was nominated for two Emmy Awards._[3][5]

Initially, the game sold poorly, with only 800,000 copies sold out of an expected two million (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

In 1989, Milton Bradley released "Trump: The Board Game," which was modeled after Trumps' rise to success. Unfortunately, the game was a huge flop._[6]
In 1988, Trump was considered as a possible running mate for George H. W. Bush, but Dan Quayle ultimately won the position._[6][21]
Trump once tweeted that vaccines, if administered too quickly in succession, have led to the increase in autism._[11]
In 1987, Trump bought what was then the world's third largest yacht, which he named the Trump Princess, for $29 million. He actually never spent a night on the luxury yacht, admitting that "it makes him nervous to relax."_[26]
In 1988, Trump bought the world-famous Plaza Hotel in New York City. Built in 1907, the hotel was also the setting for the famous Eloise children's book series by Kay Thompson. It was also used for several movies, including Home Alone 2: Lost in New York._[26]
While still married to his first wife, Ivana, Trump began a years long affair with actress Marla Maples. Though the affair cost him his marriage, Trump reminisced that during the affair, his "life was so great in so many ways. The business was so great . . . a beautiful girlfriend, a beautiful wife, a beautiful everything. Life was just a bowl of cherries."_[26]

Trump's wife and children (Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

Trump's two favorite movies are Citizen Kane and Gone with the Wind._[18]
Trump says that he works about 85 hours a week. He reportedly sleeps just 4 hours a night, usually from about 1 AM to 5 AM._[18][26]
Trump has written several books of business advice, including Trump: How to Get Rich and Why We Want You to Be Rich: Two Men--One Message. According to Random House, Trump is the greatest selling business author ever._[18]
In 2005, Trump opened the for-profit, non-accredited Trump University. In 2013, the New York Attorney General sued Trump and the "university" for $40 million for allegedly defrauding students._[10]

Trump is notoriously self-conscious about the size of his hands (Paul Hawthorne / Getty Images)

Donald Trump is famously self-conscious about the length of his fingers._[2]
In 2006, Trump launched his own luxury travel search engine; however; it shut down just one year later._[10]
Trump was on the board of directors of several charitable organizations, including the Police Athletic League and the United Cerebral Palsy._[26]
After a white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that led to the death of counterprotester Heather Heyer, Donald Trump sparked controversy when he noted that were "very fine people on both sides."_[22]
Donald Trump faced ridicule when he tweeted a sentence with a seemingly nonsensical word, "covfefe."_[13]
Every other major party nominee for U.S. president in the last 40 years has released his or her tax returns, except for Donald Trump._[14]
Trump started his own steak company, called Trump Steakhouse. However, his steak company closed in 2015 due to violating 51 health codes, including serving five-month old duck._[10]

Donald Trump Timeline_[3]_[18]_[26]
1946	Donald Trump is born in Queens, New York on June 14.
1964	Trump graduates from New York Military Academy.
1964-1966	Trump attends Fordham University.
1968	Trump graduates from the Univeristy of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Finance.
1971	Trump moves to a studio apartment in Manhattan, New York.
1977	Ivana Maria Zelnickova Winklmary and Trump marry. Their first child, Donald John Trump, Jr. is born.
1980	The Grand Hyatt Hotel is completed. Trump begins construction on Trump Tower.
1981	Ivanka Maria, Trumps second child is born.
1983	Trump completes Trump Tower. He also buys USFL New Jersey Generals.
1984	Trump opens Harrah's at Trump Plaza casino/hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His third child, Eric, is born.
1986	Trump renovates and reopens the Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park.
1987	Trump: The Art of the Deal is published.
1988	Trump buys the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
1990	The Trump Taj Mahal casino opens in Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, Trump is unable to pay interest on bank loans and begins making refinancing deals with the banks.
1991	Ivana and Trump divorce.
1993	Tiffany Ariana, Trump's first child with Marla Maples is born. Marla Maples and Trump marry.
1995	Trump emerges from debt.
1999	Marla Maples and Trump divorce.
2004	The first season of The Apprentice airs on NBC.
2005	Trump marries his third wife, Melania Knauss.
2006	Barron William, Trump's fifth child, is born.
2007	Trump receives a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
2012	States on CNN's The Situation Room that many people believe that Barack Obama's birth certificiate is "not authentic."
2015	On June 16, Trump announces that he is running for U.S. president.
2016	On November 8th, Trump is elected as President of the United States.