One World Trade Center, more simply known as 1 WTC and previously known as the Freedom Tower, is the lead building of the new World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The 104-story supertall skyscraper is being constructed in the northwest corner of the 16-acre World Trade Center site, occupying the location where the original 8-story 6 World Trade Center once stood. The building is bounded to the west by West Street, to the north by Vesey Street, to the south by Fulton Street, and to the east by Washington Street. Construction on below-ground utility relocations, footings, and foundations for the building began on April 27, 2006.^[8] On March 30, 2009, the Port Authority confirmed that the building would be known by its legal name of One World Trade Center, rather than the colloquial name, Freedom Tower.

At the time of its completion in 2013, One World Trade Center will be the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the third-tallest building in the world by pinnacle height, with its spire reaching a symbolic 1,776 feet (541.3 m) in reference to the year of American independence.^[9][10] It has been the tallest building in New York since April 30, 2012.^[11][12] However, its overall roof height, at 1,368 feet (417.0 m), will still be 82 feet (25.0 m) shorter than the roof of Chicago's 108-story Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). The new World Trade Center complex will also feature three other high-rise office buildings, located along Greenwich Street, and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, located just south of One World Trade Center, where the Twin Towers once stood. The construction is part of an effort to memorialize and rebuild after the original World Trade Center complex was destroyed during the attacks of September 11, 2001.

History[link]

Following the destruction of the original World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, there was much debate regarding the future of the World Trade Center site. Proposals began almost immediately, and by 2003, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation organized a competition to determine how to use the site. Public rejection of the first round of designs, the "Preliminary Design Concepts," led to a second, more open competition in December 2002, in which a design by Daniel Libeskind was selected. This went through many revisions,^[13] largely because of disagreements with developer Larry Silverstein, who held the lease to the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001.

Criticism was leveled at the limited number of floors in an early plan that were designated for office space and other amenities. Only 82 floors would have been habitable, and the overall office space of the entire rebuilt World Trade Center would have been reduced by more than 3,000,000 square feet (280,000 m²) in comparison with the original complex. The floor limit was imposed by Silverstein, who expressed concern that higher floors would be a liability in the event of a future terrorist attack or other incident. Much of the building's height would have consisted of a large, open-air steel lattice structure above the roof of the tower, containing wind turbines and "sky gardens." In a subsequent design, the highest space that could be occupied became comparable to the original World Trade Center, and the open-air lattice was removed from the plans.^[4] In 2002, former New York Governor George Pataki faced accusations of cronyism for supposedly using his influence to get the winning architect's bid picked as a personal favor for his friend and campaign contributor, Ron Lauder.^[14]

A final design for the "Freedom Tower" was formally unveiled on June 28, 2005. To satisfy security issues raised by the New York City Police Department, a 187-foot (57 m) concrete base was added in April of that year. The design originally included plans to clad the base in glass prisms to address criticism that it looked uninviting and resembled a "concrete bunker." However, this later proved unworkable, as preliminary testing revealed that the prismatic glass easily shattered into large and dangerous shards. As a result, it was replaced by a simpler facade consisting of stainless steel panels and blast-resistant glass.^[15]

Contrasting with Libeskind's original plan, the tower's final design tapers octagonally as it rises. Its designers stated that the tower would be a "monolithic glass structure reflecting the sky and topped by a sculpted antenna." Larry Silverstein commented in 2006 on a planned completion date: "By 2012 we should have a completely rebuilt World Trade Center, more magnificent, more spectacular than it ever was."^[16] On April 26, 2006, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved a conceptual framework that enabled foundation construction to begin, and a formal agreement was drafted on the following day, the 75th anniversary of the 1931 opening of the Empire State Building. The tower's construction began in May with a formal ceremony that took place when the first construction team arrived.^[17] The building's topping out has been projected for spring 2012, and it is expected to be ready for occupancy in 2013.^[15]

In 2009, the Port Authority changed the official title of the building from "Freedom Tower" to "One World Trade Center," stating that this name was the "easiest for people to identify with."^[18][19] In May 2011, detailed floor plans of the tower were displayed on New York City's Department of Finance website, resulting in an uproar from the media and citizens of the surrounding area, who warned that the plans could potentially be used for a future terrorist attack.^[20] In April 2012, with the tower nearing completion, the owners of 1 WTC began a public marketing campaign for the building, seeking to draw in visitors and additional tenants.^[21]

Construction history[link]

The symbolic cornerstone of One World Trade Center was laid in a ceremony on July 4, 2004,^[22] but further construction work was stalled until 2006 due to acrimonious disputes over money, security and design. The last major issues were resolved on April 26, 2006, when a deal was struck between developer Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. For two months during the summer of 2006, explosives were detonated at the World Trade Center construction site, testing the use of charges to clear bedrock for the building's foundations. On November 18, 2006, 400 cubic yards (310 cubic metres) of concrete were poured onto the foundations, carried by as many as 40 trucks. On December 17, 2006, a ceremony was held in Battery Park City, with members of the public invited to sign a 30-foot (9.1 m) steel beam.^[23] This beam, the first to be installed, was welded onto the building's base on December 19, 2006.^[24] Afterwards, construction of the foundation and further steel installation commenced, and by the end of 2007, the tower’s footings and foundations were nearly complete.^[25]

One World Trade Center under construction on May 27, 2012.

In January 2008, two construction cranes were moved onto the construction site. The tower's concrete core began rising in the first months of 2008,^[25] and had reached street level by May 17. Construction of the base continued through 2009 and was completed by early 2010. Afterwards, the construction of the office floors began, as did the installation of the first glass windows. In May 2010, the Port Authority stated that they were building nearly one floor of the tower per week, and it was projected that 1 WTC would reach 55 stories by the end of 2010.^[26] An advanced "cocoon" scaffolding system was installed to protect workers from falling, marking the first time that such a safety system had been installed on a steel structure in the city.^[27]

On December 16, 2010, the Port Authority announced that the tower's construction had reached the 52nd floor, rising to over 600 feet (180 m) and marking the halfway point for the tower's steel frame.^[28][29] By September 11, 2011, ten years after the destruction of the original World Trade Center, the tower's steel had reached the 82nd floor, while its concrete flooring had reached the 72nd floor, and glass cladding had reached the 56th floor.^[30]

While under construction, the tower was specially illuminated on several occasions.^[5] On the weekend of July 4, 2011, it was lit up in the colors of the American flag to commemorate Independence Day, and it was lit up in the same colors on September 10 to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. On October 27, it was illuminated in pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On December 11, the Port Authority illuminated the tower in multicolored lights to celebrate the holiday season. On February 24, 2012, the building was lit up in red in honor of Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan, who became a cardinal on February 18.

On January 31, 2012, the Port Authority stated that the tower's loading dock would not be finished in time to move equipment into the completed building, and that five temporary loading bays would be added instead, at a cost of "millions". The temporary Trans Hudson station will not be removed until its replacement is completed, preventing access to the planned loading area.^[31] By March 2012, One World Trade Center's steel had reached the 93rd floor,^[32] and on March 30, the 100th floor was reached at a height of 1,240 feet (380 m).^[33] Though this floor was numbered as floor 100, it was in fact the 94th floor constructed – the intervening space was occupied by the high-ceilinged mechanical floors 91–93.^[33] The incomplete tower became New York City's tallest building by roof height, superseding the 1,250-foot (380 m) roof height of the Empire State Building, on April 30, 2012.^[11] However, the Empire State Building's total spire height of 1,454 feet (443 m) will remain unsurpassed until One World Trade Center's antenna is installed.

1 WTC under construction, pictured from the Staten Island Ferry on May 26, 2012.

By May 25, 2012, the tower's steel had risen to the nominal 103rd floor, its concrete flooring had been installed to the 94th floor, and its glass panels had reached the 74th floor.^[32] The building's structure is expected to top out sometime in late spring or early summer of 2012, whereupon its 408-foot (124 m) radio antenna will be installed.

Estimated cost and funding[link]

A February 2007 estimate put the initial construction cost of One World Trade Center at about $3 billion, or $1,150 per square foot ($12,380 per square meter).^[34] However, by January 2012 the tower's estimated cost had risen to $3.8 billion, making it the most expensive single building in the world at the time.^[2][35] The tower's construction was partly funded with approximately $1 billion of insurance money recouped by Silverstein in connection with the September 11 attacks.^[34] The State of New York provided $250 million toward construction costs, and the Port Authority agreed to finance a further $1 billion through the sale of bonds.^[36] A series of bridge and tunnel toll hikes were also implemented by the Port Authority to raise funds, with a 56% toll increase scheduled between 2011 and 2015; however, the proceeds of these toll hikes were not ultimately used to pay for the tower's construction.^[2][37]

Architecture and design[link]

Many remaining vestiges of the concepts drawn from the 2002 competition were later discarded from the tower's design. One World Trade Center's final design consisted of simple symmetries and a more traditional profile, intended to bear comparison with selected elements of the contemporary New York skyline. The tower's central spire draws from precedents such as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, and is also visually reminiscent of the North Tower of the original World Trade Center, rather than being an off-center spire intended to echo the Statue of Liberty.

The building's footprint is a 200-foot (61 m) square, nearly identical to the footprints of the original Twin Towers. The tower rises from a 185-foot (56 m) windowless concrete base, designed to protect it against truck bombs and other ground-level terror threats.^[38] Originally, the base was intended to be clad in decorative prismatic glass, but a simpler glass-and-steel façade was adopted when this proved unworkable.^[15] The current base cladding design consists of angled glass fins protruding from stainless steel panels, similar to those on 7 World Trade Center. LED lights behind the panels will illuminate the base at night.^[39] Cable-net glass façades on all four sides of the building for the higher floors, designed by Schlaich Bergermann, will be consistent with the other buildings in the complex. They measure 60 feet (18 m) high and range in width from 30 feet (9.1 m) on the east and west sides (for access to the observation deck) to 50 feet (15 m) on the north side, and 70 feet (21 m) on the south for primary tenant access.^[7] The curtain wall was manufactured and assembled in Portland, Oregon, by Benson Industries, using glass made in Minnesota by Viracon.^[40]

From the 20th floor upwards, the square edges of the tower's cubic base are chamfered back, transforming the building's shape into eight tall isosceles triangles, or an elongated square antiprism.^[41] Near its middle, the tower forms a perfect octagon in-plan, and then culminates in a glass parapet whose shape is a square oriented 45 degrees from the base. A 408-foot (124 m) sculpted mast containing the broadcasting antenna – designed in a collaboration between SOM, artist Kenneth Snelson (who invented the tensegrity structure), lighting designers and engineers – is secured by a system of cables, and rises from a circular support ring which will contain additional broadcasting and maintenance equipment. At night, an intense beam of light will be projected above the spire, being visible over 1,000 feet (300 m) into the air above the tower.^[42]

David Childs of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the architect of One World Trade Center, said the following regarding the tower's design:^[43]

Layout[link]

One World Trade Center will have a top floor denoted as 104.^[3] The building will have 74 usable above-ground floors, of which 69 will be designated as office space (approximately 2,600,000 square feet or 240,000 square metres).^[44][45][46] The base will occupy floors 1–19, including a 65-ft-high (20 m) public lobby. The office stories will begin at floor 20, and run through floor 63. There will be a sky lobby on floor 64, and then office floors will resume between floors 65–90. Meanwhile, floors 91–99 and 103–104 will be designated as mechanical space.^[7] The design also includes a three-story observation deck located on floors 100–102, as well as broadcast and antenna facilities, all supported by both above and below-ground mechanical infrastructure for the building and its adjacent public spaces. Below-ground tenant parking and storage, shopping, and access to the PATH and subway trains and the World Financial Center are also provided. There will be approximately 55,000 square feet (5,100 m²) of below-grade retail space. A plan to build a restaurant near the top of the tower was abandoned as logistically too difficult. The window washing tracks are located on a 16-square-foot area which will be denoted as floor 110, in a symbolic reference to the 110 stories of the original Twin Towers.^[47]

Sustainability[link]

Like the other buildings of the rebuilt World Trade center complex, One World Trade Center includes a number of sustainable architecture features. Much of the building's structure is made from post-industrial recycled materials, and about 80% of its waste products are also being recycled.^[48] Although the roof area of any tower is comparatively limited, the building will implement a rainwater collection and recycling scheme for its cooling systems. The building's PureCell phosphoric acid fuel cells will generate 4.8 million watts of power, and waste steam will also help generate electricity.^[49] The New York Power Authority selected UTC Power to provide the tower's fuel cell system, which will rank as one of the largest installations of fuel cells in the world once complete.^[50] The tower will also make use of off-site hydroelectric and wind power.^[51] The windows are made of an ultra-clear glass which allows maximum daylight to pass through, while interior lighting is equipped with dimmers that automatically lower the lights on sunny days, thereby reducing energy costs.^[42] Like all of the new facilities at the World Trade Center site, One World Trade Center will be heated by steam, with limited oil or natural gas utilities located on-site.^[52]

One World Trade Center is expected to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, making it one of the most environmentally sustainable buildings of its size in the world.^[53]

Safety and security[link]

Along with the protection offered by the reinforced concrete base, a number of other safety features were included in the building's design, in order to better prepare it for a major accident or terrorist attack. These features include 3-foot (91 cm) thick reinforced concrete walls for all stairwells, elevator shafts, risers, and sprinkler systems; extra-wide, pressurized stairwells; a dedicated set of stairwells exclusively for the use of firefighters; and biological and chemical filters throughout its ventilation system. The building is no longer 25 feet (8 m) away from West Street, as the Twin Towers were; at its closest point, West Street is 65 feet (20 m) away. The windows on the side of the building facing in this direction are equipped with specially tempered blast-resistant plastic, which looks nearly the same as the glass used in the other sides of the building.^[42] The 70 elevators and 9 escalators for 1 World Trade Center will be provided by ThyssenKrupp,^[54] with steel counterweights supplied by Concord Steel.^[55] The Port Authority has stated: "Its structure is designed around a strong, redundant steel moment frame consisting of beams and columns connected by a combination of welding and bolting. Paired with a concrete-core shear wall, the moment frame lends substantial rigidity and redundancy to the overall building structure while providing column-free interior spans for maximum flexibility."^[53]

In addition to optimum safety design, new security measures will also be implemented. All vehicles will be screened before they enter the site via the underground roadway, including for radioactive materials. Visitors to the National September 11 Memorial will furthermore undergo airport-style screening during the "Interim Operating Period", which is expected to end on December 31, 2013.^[56] 400 closed-circuit surveillance cameras will be placed in and around the site, with live camera feeds being monitored around the clock by the NYPD. A computer system will use video-analytic computer software designed to detect potential threats such as unattended bags and retrieve images based on descriptions of terror or other criminal suspects. New York City and Port Authority police will patrol the site. Once the World Trade Center site is fully completed, the plaza will be opened entirely to the public, as was the original World Trade Center plaza.^[38]

Height[link]

Height comparison of buildings in New York City, with One World Trade Center shown at far left.

The roof of the top floor of One World Trade Center will be 1,368 feet (417 m) tall, including a 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m) parapet; this is identical to the roof height of the North Tower of the original World Trade Center.^[57] The building's spire will bring One World Trade Center to a total height of 1,776 feet (541 m),^[3][58] a figure symbolic of the 1776 United States Declaration of Independence.^[59] This will allow the tower to surpass the 1,671-foot (509-meter) height of Taipei 101 to become the world's tallest all-office building and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, surpassing the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) in Chicago. However, its roof height will still be 83 feet (25 m) shorter than the Willis Tower. At the time of its completion, One World Trade Center will be the third-tallest skyscraper in the world, behind the Burj Khalifa and the Abraj Al Bait. One World Trade Center will also become the 6th-tallest freestanding structure in the world. The Chicago Spire, with a planned height of 2,000 feet (610 m), was expected to exceed the height of One World Trade Center, but its construction was canceled in 2009 due to financial difficulties.^[60]

Owners and tenants[link]

One World Trade Center is owned principally by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Around 5% equity of the building was sold to the Durst Organization in exchange for an investment of at least US$100 million. The Durst Organization assisted in supervising the building's construction, and manages the building for the Port Authority, having responsibility for leasing, property management and tenant installations.^[61][62]

Government tenants[link]

In 2006, the State of New York agreed to a 15-year lease of 415,000 square feet (38,600 m²) of space inside 1 WTC, with an option to extend the term of the lease and occupy up to 1,000,000 square feet (90,000 m²).^[63] The General Services Administration (GSA) initially agreed to lease approximately 645,000 square feet (59,900 m²) of space,^[52][63] and New York State's Office of General Services (OGS) planned to lease approximately 412,000 square feet (38,300 m²) of space. However, in July 2011, the GSA ceded most of its leased floor space to the Port Authority, and the OGS withdrew from the lease agreement.^[64] In April 2008, the Port Authority announced that it was seeking a bidder to operate an 18,000 sq ft (1,700 m²) observation deck on the tower's 102nd floor.^[65]

China Center[link]

The building's first lease was announced on March 28, 2009, as a joint project between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Beijing-based Vantone Industrial Co. A 190,810 sq ft (17,727 m²) "China Center", combining business and cultural facilities, is to be located between floors 64 and 69, to represent Chinese business and cultural links to the United States, and to serve American companies that wish to conduct business in China. Vantone Industrial's lease is for 20 years and 9 months.^[66] In April 2011, a new interior design for the China Center was unveiled, featuring a vertical "Folding Garden" based on an initial proposal by the Chinese artist Zhou Wei.^[67]

Condé Nast[link]

On August 3, 2010, publisher Condé Nast signed a tentative agreement to move the headquarters and offices of its magazines into One World Trade Center, occupying up to 1,000,000 square feet (90,000 m²) of the building.^[68] On May 17, 2011, Condé Nast reached an agreement with the Port Authority, securing a 25-year lease with an estimated value of $2 billion.^[69] On May 25, 2011, Condé Nast finalized the lease agreement, leasing 1,008,012 square feet (93,647.4 m²) of office space on floors 20–41 of the tower. The lease also covers 30,000 square feet (2,800 m²) of usable space in the podium and below grade floors, for mail, messenger services, and storage use. On January 17, 2012, it was reported that Condé Nast would be leasing an additional 133,000 square feet (10,000 m²) of space, occupying floors 42–44 of the tower.^[70]

Proposed tenants[link]

On January 27, 2012, it was announced that Chadbourne & Parke, a Midtown Manhattan law firm, would be signing a lease to around 300,000 square feet (30,000 m²) of space in One World Trade Center.^[71] However, negotiations broke down and the deal collapsed abruptly in March 2012.^[72]

Key figures[link]

Larry Silverstein[link]

Larry Silverstein of Silverstein Properties, the leaseholder and developer of the complex, retains control of the surrounding buildings, while the Port Authority has full control of the tower itself. Silverstein signed a 99-year lease for the World Trade Center site in July 2001, and remains actively involved in most aspects of the site's redevelopment process.^[73]

Daniel Libeskind won the 2002 competition to develop a master plan for the World Trade Center's redevelopment.

David Childs[link]

David Childs, one of Silverstein's favorite architects, joined the project at the urging of Silverstein and developed a proposal for 1 WTC, initially in collaboration with Daniel Libeskind. The tower's design was revised by Childs in May 2005 to address security concerns. He is the project architect of the tower, and is responsible for overseeing its day-to-day design development from inception to completion.^[74]

Daniel Libeskind[link]

Architect Daniel Libeskind won the invitational competition to develop a plan for the World Trade Center's redevelopment in 2002. He included an initial proposal, 'Memory Foundations', for the design of 1 WTC, a building with aerial gardens and windmills with an off-center spire. Libeskind later denied a request to place the tower in a more rentable location next to the PATH station and instead placed it a block west, because in profile it would line up with, and resemble, the Statue of Liberty.^[75] Most of Libeskind's designs were later scrapped, and other architects were chosen to construct the other WTC buildings.^[76] Nonetheless, one element of Libeskind's initial plan was reflected in the final design – the tower's symbolic height of 1,776 feet (541 m).^[77]

Dan Tishman[link]

Dan Tishman, along with his father John Tishman, builder of the original World Trade Center, is leading the construction management effort for Tishman Realty & Construction, the selected builder for 1 WTC.^[78]

Douglas and Jody Durst[link]

Douglas and Jody Durst, the co-presidents of the Durst Organization, a real estate development company, won the right to invest at least $100 million in the project on July 7, 2010. The Durst Organisation is a family-owned company that specializes in the development, managing, leasing, and operation of sustainable commercial construction space.^[79][80][81] Condé Nast, a long-time Durst tenant, also confirmed a tentative deal to move into 1 World Trade Center in August 2010,^[80][81][82] and finalized the deal on May 26, 2011.^[83]

Port Authority construction workers[link]

A WoodSearch Films short-subject documentary was uploaded to YouTube on August 31, 2010, entitled How does it feel to work on One World Trade Center?. Nearly all of the construction workers interviewed praised the unity and work ethic of the new World Trade Center's construction team. Others spoke of the importance they believed the construction of the tower had to the people of the United States. A deputy foreman, George Collins, said, "All the men are working in conjunction to put this building up. They all know how important this is to the country – and to show the world what us Americans can do – and get this done, union and proud." Another deputy foreman, Scott Williams, commented, "[The] camaraderie of the crew is very good."^[84]

See also[link]

• Buildings and architecture of New York City
• List of tallest buildings in the world
• List of buildings with 100 floors or more
• List of tenants in One World Trade Center – Lists the tenants of the original 1 WTC, or North Tower, prior to 9/11
• Tallest buildings in New York City
• Tallest buildings in the United States

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: One World Trade Center (category)

• World Trade Center Official site for new World Trade Center complex.
• One World Trade Center on CTBUH's Skyscraper Center database.
• Ground Zero Cams Live cam and time lapse photos of the site.
• LowerManhattan.Info Official site for Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center.
• Glass, Steel and Stone History of Freedom Tower designs.
• Project Rebirth Documentation of the reconstruction of Ground Zero.

Donald Trump
Donald Trump, February 2011
Born	Donald John Trump (1946-06-14) June 14, 1946 (age 66) Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.
Residence	Trump Tower, Manhattan
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Fordham University The Wharton School (B.S.)
Occupation	Chairman and president of The Trump Organization[1] Chairman of Trump Plaza Associates, LLC[2] Chairman of Trump Atlantic City Associates[2] Host of The Apprentice
Years active	1968–present
Salary	$60 million (2010–11)[2]
Net worth	$2.9 billion (2012)[3]
Political party	Independent (2011–present)[4] Republican (1987–99; 2009–11) Democratic (2001–09)[5] Reform Party (1999–2000)[6]
Religion	Presbyterian[7]
Spouse	Ivana Trump (m. 1977–1992) «start: (1977)–end+1: (1993)»"Marriage: Ivana Trump to Donald Trump" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Donald_Trump) Marla Maples (m. 1993–1999) «start: (1993)–end+1: (2000)»"Marriage: Marla Maples to Donald Trump" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Donald_Trump) Melania Trump (m. 2005) «start: (2005)»"Marriage: Melania Trump to Donald Trump" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Donald_Trump)
Children	Donald Trump Jr. (b. 1977) Ivanka Trump (b. 1981) Eric Trump (b. 1984) Tiffany Trump (b. 1993) Barron Trump (b. 2006)
Signature
Website
TrumpOnline.com

Donald John Trump, Sr. (born June 14, 1946) is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts.^[1] Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have made him a well-known celebrity who was No. 17 on the 2011 Forbes Celebrity 100 list.^[2] He is well-known as a real-estate developer who amassed vast hotel, casino, and other real-estate properties, in the New York City area and around the world.

Trump is the son of Fred Trump, a wealthy New York City real-estate developer.^[8] He worked for his father's firm, Elizabeth Trump & Son, while attending the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1968 officially joined the company.^[9] He was given control of the company in 1971 and renamed it The Trump Organization.^[10][11]

In 2010, Trump expressed an interest in becoming a candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election.^[12][13] In May 2011, he announced he would not be a candidate, but a few weeks later he said he had not completely ruled out the possibility.^[14][15] In December 2011, Trump was suggested as a possible Vice Presidential selection by Michele Bachmann.^[16] Bachmann has since suspended her presidential campaign.

Early life and education[link]

Trump is a son of Fred Trump and his wife, Mary Anne MacLeod, who married in 1936. His mother was born on the Isle of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland.^[17] Donald was one of five children. Donald's oldest brother, Fred Jr., died in 1981 at the age of 43.^[18] Trump's paternal grandparents were German immigrants.^[19] His grandfather, Frederick Trump (née Freidrich Drumpf), emigrated to the United States in 1885 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1892. Frederick married Elisabeth Christ (October 10, 1880 – June 6, 1966)^[20] at Kallstadt, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, on August 26, 1902. They had three children.

Trump attended the Kew-Forest School, Forest Hills, New York, as did some of his siblings. At age 13 after having some difficulties there, his parents sent him to the New York Military Academy (NYMA), hoping to direct his energy and assertiveness in a positive manner.^[21] At NYMA, in upstate New York, Trump earned academic honors, and played varsity football in 1962, varsity soccer in 1963, and varsity baseball from 1962 to 1964 (baseball captain 1964). The baseball coach, Ted Dobias, a local celebrity for his work with area youth, awarded him the Coach's Award in 1964. Promoted to Cadet Captain-S4 (Cadet Battalion Logistics Officer) in his senior year, Trump and Cadet First Sergeant Jeff Donaldson (NYMA class of 1965; West Point 1969) formed a composite company of cadets, taught them advanced close-order drill, and marched them down Fifth Avenue on Memorial Day, 1964.

Trump attended Fordham University for two years before transferring to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in economics.^[22] In his book, Trump: The Art of the Deal, Trump discusses his undergraduate career:

After I graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1964, I flirted briefly with the idea of attending film school... but in the end I decided real estate was a much better business. I began by attending Fordham University... but after two years, I decided that as long as I had to be in college, I might as well test myself against the best. I applied to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and I got in... I was also very glad to get finished. I immediately moved back home and went to work full time with my father.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Donald Trump at a press conference announcing David Blaine's latest feat in New York City at the Trump Tower.

Trump is popularly known as The Donald, a nickname given to him by the media after his first wife Ivana Trump, a native of the Czech Republic, referred to him as such in an interview.^[23] Trump is also known for his catchphrase, "You're fired!", made popular by his television series The Apprentice. While it has been reported that Trump does not shake hands because of fear of germs,^[24] he claims this phobia is "a rumor that the enemies say", and shook hands repeatedly in public during a visit to New Hampshire in April 2011.^[25] Trump is a golfer, with a low single-figure handicap. He is a member of the Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, and also plays regularly at the other courses he owns and operates.^[26]

Christian[link]

Trump has stated in interviews that he is a Presbyterian. In April 2011 on Human Events he said that he is "a Presbyterian within the Protestant group".^[7] In an April 2011 interview, on the 700 Club, Trump said, "I'm a Protestant, I'm a Presbyterian. And you know I've had a good relationship with the church over the years. I think religion is a wonderful thing. I think my religion is a wonderful religion."^[27][28] A 2010 article in The Daily Telegraph stated that Trump was Catholic.^[29] A February 2011 Politics Daily article described Trump as "apparently a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, which is a Presbyterian denomination".^[30] Andrew Cusack in 2008 stated that Donald Trump is a member of New York City's Marble Collegiate Church. Explaining that church's organizational relationships, Cusack says "the Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church is actually a denomination within a denomination" and that the Collegiate Churches are "now part of the Reformed Church of America".^[31] Marble Collegiate Church also states that it is denominationally affiliated with the Reformed Church in America,^[32] with the RCA website stating that the RCA has a local church "presbyterian form of government".^[33] Trump does not drink alcohol.^[34]

Trump married Melania Knauss, his third wife, at the Episcopal church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, in a "traditional ceremony".^[35][36][37] Their son, Barron, was baptized in that church.^[38] In September 2010, Trump expressed on Anderson Cooper's show on CNN, his "suspicions of ulterior motives at the imam running the project" known as Park51, claiming the imam was "using religion" (meaning Islam) to get a good price for the real estate.^[39] He also appeared on Fox's Hannity, and said much the same.^[40] Trump was quoted by the New York Post that, while he "is a 'big believer in freedom of religion,' ... his personal opinion was that the mosque should not be built close to Ground Zero ...". After Trump offered in a letter to buy the two-building site for more than $6 million in order to end the general controversy, the lawyers for the majority stakeholder, according to the Post, criticized "Trump's letter offering to buy the site as a publicity stunt".^[41]

Family[link]

Melania Knauss-Trump

Trump's mother, Mary Anne, was born at Tong, Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland in 1912. In 1930, aged 18, on holiday in New York, she met Fred Trump and stayed in New York. Born in Queens, New York,^{[citation needed]} Trump has four siblings: two brothers, Fred Jr. (who is deceased) and Robert; and two sisters, Maryanne and Elizabeth. His elder sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, is a federal appeals court judge.

In 1977, Trump married Ivana Zelníčková and together they have three children: Donald Jr. (born December 31, 1977), Ivanka (born October 30, 1981), and Eric (born January 6, 1984). They were divorced in 1992. In 1993, he married Marla Maples and together they had one child, Tiffany (born October 13, 1993). They divorced on June 8, 1999. In a February 2008 interview on ABC's Nightline Trump commented on his ex-wives by saying, "I just know it's very hard for them (Ivana and Marla) to compete because I do love what I do. I really love it."^{[citation needed]}

On April 26, 2004, he proposed to Melania Knauss (Melanija Knavs), a native of Slovenia. Trump and Knauss married on January 22, 2005, at Bethesda by the Sea Episcopal Church, on the island of Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a reception at Trump's Mar-A-Lago estate.^[36] Melania gave birth to a boy named Barron William Trump, Trump's fifth child, on March 20, 2006.

Trump has four grandchildren. Three from his son Donald Jr. (Kai Madison^[42], Donald John III^[43] and Tristan Milos^[44]) and one from his daughter Ivanka (Arabella Rose^[45][46]).

Business career[link]

Successes (1968–89)[link]

Trump began his career at his father's company,^[47] the Trump Organization, and initially concentrated on his father's preferred field of middle-class rental housing in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. One of Trump's first projects, while he was still in college, was the revitalization of the foreclosed Swifton Village apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio, which his father had purchased for $5.7 million in 1962. Trump became intimately involved in the project, personally flying in for a few days at a time to carry out landscaping and other low-level tasks. After $500,000 investment, Trump successfully turned a 1200-unit complex with a 66 percent vacancy rate to 100 percent occupancy within two years. The Trump Organization sold Swifton Village for $6.75 million in 1972.^[48]