Trump turns 79 — key facts about his life and legacy

Today, Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, turns 79. He is leading the country for the second time. Trump first became the leader of the United States in 2017, and then again in 2025.

Novyny.LIVE tells everything you need to know about Donald Trump.

Trump's biography

Trump is a politician, statesman, entrepreneur, and former television personality. 

He was born and raised in Queens, New York. After two years at Fordham University, Trump completed his education at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a bachelor's degree in economics from the Wharton School.

In 1971, he took over the family real estate business. His business activities have been accompanied by involvement in more than 4,000 lawsuits at various levels, including six bankruptcy cases. Trump has been married three times and has five children.

First presidential election

In 2016, Trump won the presidential election as the Republican Party candidate. He became the 45th President of the United States and the oldest president in history at the time of his inauguration.

Defeat in the elections

In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump ran as the Republican Party candidate but was defeated. He refused to accept the election results, and on January 6, 2021, the day Congress was scheduled to certify the results, he called on his supporters to march on the Capitol.

On the same day, some of his supporters stormed the building, resulting in the deaths of five people.

Due to "inciting insurrection," the House of Representatives voted to impeach him. Trump became the first person in the history of the United States to be impeached twice.

Second victory in the elections

Trump won the 60th election. In the first days of his Presidency, he signed over 200 executive orders, a record. Of these, 78 repealed Joe Biden's decisions, which Trump considered "harmful".

Key steps include:

• The United States' withdrawal from the WHO and the Paris Climate Agreement;
• The abolition of support for "gender ideology";
• The freezing of federal government hiring;
• The creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE);
• The declaration of a state of emergency on the southern border.

In the first weeks of his Presidency, Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, including declassifying materials related to the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, granting mass pardons to approximately 1,500 participants in the events of January 6, and repealing federal programmes related to diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI).

These decisions caused a widespread reaction and became the subject of legal challenges and public debate about the limits of presidential power.

Donald Trump continues to implement the policies he pursued during his first term, focusing on immigration, economic, and social issues.

In early 2025, he imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada with a 30-day deadline to strengthen border security and combat crime, as well as 10% tariffs on goods from China.

In addition, a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium has been introduced to protect key US industries.

After being re-elected for a second term, Trump has repeatedly made claims regarding the annexation of neighbouring territories, in particular issuing a series of ultimatums to Canada, calling it a potential 51st state that should join the United States.

Trump has made similar territorial claims regarding Greenland and the Panama Canal Zone.

His own token

On January 8, 2025, Trump announced the release of his own meme coin — the $TRUMP token. Initially, 1 billion coins were issued, of which about 200 million were sold.

The token runs on the Solana blockchain. The initial price of one coin was 18 cents, and as of January 20, it had risen to over $60.

Trump in the media

Trump has been nominated twice for an Emmy Award for his memorable comedic roles as himself in television series and films, including Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, The Nanny, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Days of Our Lives, and The Little Rascals.

He is often parodied by comedians and artists of other genres. Trump has also been a regular guest on talk shows and various television programmes.

Trump's wife

In 2004, Trump proposed to Slovenian model Melania Knauss, who is 24 years his junior. They were married on 22 January 2005 in Bethesda and had their wedding reception at Mar-a-Lago.

And on March 20, 2006, Melania gave birth to their son, Barron William Trump.

He was previously married to model Ivana Zelníčková and actress Marla Maples.

Assassination attempts on Trump

In July last year, an attempt was made on Trump's life at his election rally in the United States. During his speech, several loud noises resembling gunshots were heard from the podium. He was shielded by his security guards, but his ear and face were bloodied.

And on September 5, a shooting occurred near Trump's golf club. Secret Service agents spotted an armed person near the golf course and opened fire.

The suspect was later detained, and the FBI launched an investigation into a possible assassination attempt.

Dispute with Zelensky

On February 28 this year, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky flew to the United States to meet with Trump, but a dispute broke out between the politicians in the White House.

At the beginning of the briefing, the United States leader expressed the opinion that Ukraine and Russia should conclude a peace agreement to end the war as soon as possible, and only then can security guarantees be discussed. 

"We are looking forward to a quick end to this. We do not expect to send a lot of weapons. We are looking forward to the end of the war so that we can do other things," he emphasized. 

After that, Trump stated that Kyiv should be grateful to America and not set its own conditions, because it "has no cards in its hand." When the Ukrainian leader replied that the United States has no right to tell our country what to do, Trump stated that Zelensky was showing disrespect to America.

In addition, the Head of the White House recalled that it is thanks to American weapons that Ukraine has been able to hold out on the front for so long. 

 "If you didn't have our weapons and equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks," Donald Trump stated. 

"I heard from Putin about three days, and now it's been two weeks," Volodymyr Zelensky replied.

The dispute did not end there, as Donald Trump noted that his predecessors, including Joe Biden, "pursued a failed policy towards Ukraine and Russia." According to him, he is not sure that our country can act from a position of strength without the United States.

"I have given you the opportunity to act from a position of strength. Can you do that without the United States? You have courageous people, but I doubt it... Either we make a deal, or you leave. I understand that it will be difficult. You have no cards in your hand. When we sign the deal, you will be in the best position. But you must express your gratitude," the American President stated. 

In addition, Trump criticized Zelensky for his appearance. The Ukrainian leader was dressed not in a suit, but in military clothing.

The United States' leader also repeatedly stated that he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, but it did not happen. Currently, Trump is holding talks with both Zelensky and Putin.

According to media reports, he is very keen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

As a reminder, Trump was impressed by the Special Security Operation of the Security Service of Ukraine called "Spiderweb".

Also, in response to the escalation of the situation in Los Angeles, Trump decided to send 2,000 National Guard soldiers to the city. Local authorities criticised this move.