World’s most powerful man owes it all to Pop
Donald Trump celebrates his 72nd birthday this week.
He was born on June 14, 1946, in the New York borough of Queens, the fourth of five children to Fred and Mary Anne Trump.
Like many a US President, Trump can claim Scottish roots, going back to the Outer Hebrides – just 10 of the nation’s 45 leaders, in fact, could say they had absolutely no Scottish ancestry.
Perhaps none could say they were more of a shock choice for the White House than the outspoken Trump.
His father was of German background, and it was his mother who brought the Scottish element to the family.
He had just entered his teens when Mom and Pop discovered the lad was making many an impromptu trip into Manhattan, without permission, and sent him off to boarding school, where they would be able to keep him under even closer scrutiny.
Trump graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics in 1968, and the fact he didn’t serve in the Vietnam War has caused him no end of criticism to this day.
When he was deemed fit to be called up, he was entered in the 1969 draft lottery, but got the high number required to make it highly unlikely.
He has said it was heel spurs, a growth on the heels, that got him a medical deferment.
A tragedy that remains with him is the 1981 death of his brother, Fred Jr, from alcoholism, which is why Trump doesn’t drink or smoke.
Donald was pretty handy at basketball, baseball and soccer as a young man, but soon moved into business.
When you are born into one of America’s wealthiest families, it tends to help in all sorts of ways, and when you have a father like Fred, you have someone on hand all day, every day, who can teach you everything you need to get on in the world.
Trump has joked about how he would just borrow a million dollars from Dad when he needed to, but he looked and listened constantly to his father.
Fred, after all, knew how to charm the right people, and could be witty and engaging, or ruthless and business-focused, when he needed to be.
He was also deeply into politics and knew who the important people were.
Some have said if Donald simply put all the money he inherited into a bank, he’d be richer than he is now, but Donald was keen to have his own career and make money that way.
Probably not even he dreamed of the power he would end up having.