Donald Trump might be the most famous person on Earth right now. As they say, it’s hard to compare apples and oranges; India PM Narendra Modi and China president Xi Jinping each rule over a billion people, and who knows how many Taylor Swift fans there are on the planet. Each of these four titans holds considerable sway over world events – but only one (so far) has been President of the United States of America.
It could happen again. Trump has seen his 2024 election odds soar to –170 at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review), although Kamala Harris (+150) continues to hold a 3% edge or thereabouts in the national polls as we go to press. It’s still basically a coin flip as far as anyone can tell.
Trump and the Republican Party didn’t get a second term in 2020 after winning the 2016 U.S. election, but you won’t find any “new and improved” stickers on this year’s model. Trump is who he is at this point – but who exactly is he? How did he go from bankrupt real estate magnate to potential two-time Leader of the Free World?
U.S. Presidential Election Odds
Who Is Donald Trump?
It all began on June 14, 1946, when Trump was born in Queens, New York, the son of real-estate developer Fred Trump and grandson of Frederick Trump, who changed his name from Friedrich after emigrating from Bavaria in 1885. Donald Trump’s mother, socialite/philanthropist Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, was born in Scotland and came to America in 1930, eventually becoming a naturalized citizen in 1942.
Fred and Mary Anne had five children, Donald being the fourth; he grew up in the swank Jamaica Estates neighborhood, and went to private school, including the New York Military Academy prep school at age 13. Trump enrolled at Fordham, then transferred to Wharton and earned his Bachelor of Science in economics.
Trump went on to become famous on multiple fronts. Using his considerable family wealth, the future 45th President turned the Trump Organization into an umbrella brand that currently includes some 250 businesses with the Trump name on the label. He grew that brand through a constant barrage of media appearances, ultimately creating the hit reality game show The Apprentice, which ran from 2004 to 2015.
What Are Donald Trump’s Politics?
Not included in our very brief look at Donald Trump’s life are his many and continuing encounters with the legal system. The government is the law, and Trump has been fighting the law for almost the entirety of his adult life – much like his father and grandfather.
With that in mind, it’s impossible to frame Donald Trump’s politics in the same way we would with a more moderate Republican like Brian Fitzpatrick. Officially, Trump registered Republican in 1987, switched to the Reform-offshoot Independence Party in 1999, then Democratic Party in 2001, Republican in 2009, none in 2011, and back to the GOP in 2012.
Looking specifically at the policies Trump has promoted these past 12 years, he falls into what FiveThirtyEight calls the “Far-Right Obstructionists cluster” of the Republican Party, which embraces ultra-conservative politics, disruption and media saturation. Trump is also cozy with the larger faction of Far-Right Establishment scions who have pushed the GOP in a libertarian direction – including opposition to military aid for Ukraine.
In the meantime, Trump has kept his foot on the gas pedal, driving his message home with increasing fervor as we get closer to November 5. He might not be exactly the same man at age 78 that he was when he upset Hillary Clinton, and the Democrats appear to have a stronger candidate this time in Harris, but if you’re betting on Donald Trump to retake the White House, at least we all know what we’re dealing with by now. Bet accordingly.
Publisher’s Note: The odds referenced in this article may have changed since publication. The odds table above shows real-time prices.
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