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Donald Trump's Childhood

Even Donald Trump was once a child. The fact that he still behaves like one doesn’t mean he really is one.

By Frank WhitePublished 7 years ago 5 min read
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Even Donald Trump was once a child. The fact that he still behaves like one doesn’t mean he still is one. To understand the man, it is best to start at the beginning. A young, impressionable Trump was one of five children. Neither the baby nor the eldest, he did not immediately inherit a title other than “one of the other three middle children.” That is not to say he did not show some interesting prowess at a very young age. Never backing down from a rivalry was a part of his DNA. Unafraid of authority, he never saw teachers as a threat and was not afraid to make his points physically. A closer look at the following childhood attributes of the iconic mogul reveals a great deal about the egomaniacal adult.

Donald Trump's Siblings

Donald Trump was the fourth child among five siblings. But even being one of the younger children of his family couldn’t hold him back as his big personality asserted itself amongst his brothers and sisters. His two sisters and one of his brothers are still alive and one sister is even a United States Federal Judge serving the United States Court of Appeals. One of his brothers, however, has passed aways due to complications with alcoholism.

In an event that would serve as a microcosm for the man Trump would become, he took away blocks from his younger brother to build his own building as a child. His brother recounted the story that they were both playing with blocks and the young Trump was inspired to create a tall building, a building so tall that he couldn’t make it with just his own blocks. So he took his brother’s blocks to complete his masterpiece. He loved this block building so much he glued it together, putting a permanent end to his brother’s block building. When reflecting back on this incident, Trump claims he didn’t do it to upset his brother, but rather took the chance to make something bigger and better when the opportunity presented itself. Ayn Rand would be proud.

Donald's Behavioral Issues

Trump was assertive and forceful from a very early age. Despite not having the ability to use millions of dollars and a huge team of lawyers to bully any opposition that might pop up, young Trump used his fists to assert his authority. Back when he was in the second grade he gave his music teacher a black eye because he thought he didn’t know anything about music. Trump sees this as proof of the positive attribute of standing up and making his opinions known through forceful means. The only difference now is instead of using his fists to get his way he uses his attorneys.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

Trump earned his competitive spirit by watching his father in action. He took notice of the fact that every time his father would start a building project, two or three of his competitors would start rival construction projects nearby. But his father always finished his buildings first, and his project would always be better-looking than his competitors, and offer more amenities and more space. He’d rent them out and after his competition went bankrupt he’d acquire their buildings, adding them to his empire. This competitive spirit came to influence Trump’s perception of economic competition and serves as his guiding principles for how he manages businesses to this day.

Trump's Military Academy Days

Trump was as difficult as a child as he is as an adult. But his time in the military academy taught him how to channel his boyhood aggression into achievement. The main person responsible for teaching him how to channel and contain his impulses was Theodore Dobias, a baseball coach who had previously served in World War II. Theodore didn’t take any disrespect or sass from his students, even going as far as to smack the ones who gave him any lip or back talk. The ultimate lesson Trump learned that would serve him greatly later in life was how to respect Theodore’s authority, but also show him that he wasn’t intimidated by it.

Trump had a reputation for being an especially unruly youth. Due to numerous behavioral problems, Trump was kicked out of Kew-Forest school and enrolled in the New York Military Academy by his parents. Trump took well to the military academy, embracing the military style with so much gusto that by the time he reached his senior year he was participating in marching drills, wearing a uniform, and even attained the rank of captain. Today, Trump believes his time here taught him how to focus his natural aggression into great achievement.

Trump Studied the Queen

One of Trump’s most pivotal memories was being six years old and being completely enraptured while watching the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II with his mother. His father hated the royal family and dismissed it, but his mother’s gushing admiration for the royal event showed him the importance of showmanship and skewed his personal tastes towards a flair for the dramatic. This preference is something that would come to greatly influence his presence as an entertainer. He cites his mother’s love of the dramatic and grand as a big inspiration of how to conduct himself as the ultimate showman.

Trump Was a College Intern

While still attending college, Trump didn’t hesitate to start working on building his fortune. He began working at his father’s company Elizabeth Trump and Son. Due to these efforts, he was able to turn a 1200 unit apartment in Cincinnati with a 66 percent vacancy rate into one with 100 percent occupancy within two years or taking over the project. Beginning to build this nest egg is what would form his fortune for the rest of his career.

Trump Produced for Broadway

Thanks to his work at the family business, Donald Trump was worth about $200,000 after graduating from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He used his wealth to make a bid on broadway by investing $70,000 to become the co-producer of the 1970 Broadway comedy “Paris is Out” which become a huge flop and taught him a harsh lesson.

Trump Hides his German Ancestry

In both his New York Times biographical profile piece and his 1987 book The Art of the Deal, Trump incorrectly asserts that his grandfather is Swedish. He did this because a large percentage of his tenants are Jewish, and he feared potentially scaring them off by revealing his German ancestry given the not too positive perception of Germans by Jews post World War

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About the Creator

Frank White

New Yorker in his forties. His counsel is sought by many, offered to few. Traveled the world in search of answers, but found more questions.

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