What to know about Donald Trump, the man who reclaimed presidency in the 2024 elections

His beginnings

Trump was born from a successful real estate developer who took over his father's business upon graduating in 1968, helping to manage its holdings of rental housing. By 1971, his father made him president of the company and he began to expand their brand by investing in luxury hotels and residential properties.

Trump has since licensed his family's name for consumer products and services, including foodstuffs, apparel, learning courses, and home furnishings.

In 2004, the real estate magnate hosted and co-produced The Apprentice, where contestants compete for a job at one of Trump's organizations. The reality show ran for 15 seasons in various formats, but Trump was fired by NBC in 2015 after he made negative comments about Mexican migrants.

Amid his business ventures, Trump took an interest in politics and initially registered as a Republican in 1987, before making numerous switches throughout the years. He became a Democrat in 2001, a Republican in 2009, and unaffiliated in 2011 before he ultimately stayed as a Republican since 2012.

Throughout his political career, he would occasionally tease about running for president. He eventually made that a reality when he announced his candidacy for the 2016 elections, facing off and beating his Democratic counterpart Hillary Clinton.

Outside his busy life, Trump is a father to three children—Donald, Jr., Ivanka, and Eric—from his first wife, Czech model Ivana Zelníčková Winklmayr. His fourth child Tiffany came from his marriage with American actress Marla Maples while his fifth child Barron was from Slovene model Melania Knauss.

He is currently married to Melania Trump, who will now return to her role as First Lady in January 2025.

2017 presidency

During his time as the 45th president, Trump's administration had notable achievements, including tax reductions for businesses and individuals and the reformation of federal prisons to decrease inmate population.

However, his presidency also suffered a lot of unrivaled drama and controversies. One of his more infamous platforms was the so-called "The Wall," which was the construction of a wall on the Mexico–U.S. border to restrict illegal movement. Many opposed this due to how costly and meanspirited it was.

While Trump formally directed the US government to begin wall construction, this was canceled during Biden's term.

Aside from this, Trump was criticized for several reasons, including withdrawing from major climate and trade agreements, banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, starting a trade war with China, and more.

Things worsened when he made history as the only federal official to be impeached twice after he was accused of pressuring Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Biden and his son Hunter.

While he was acquitted by the Republican majority, he was impeached once again for incitement of insurrection after he refused to accept his loss against Biden in the 2020 elections and gathered a rally that turned into a riot at the Capitol.

Trump's career was also stained by his four criminal indictments, which include his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Other cases were his alleged attempt to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign and his mishandling of sensitive documents.

Now that he's president again, these cases will be halted for the four years he occupies the White House.

Reclaiming the title

Despite Trump's reputation, this year's presidential race still saw a neck-and-neck competition between him and Harris. 

During his campaign, the politician highlighted voter concerns about high prices and baseless claims about a rise in crime due to illegal immigration, which appeared to win back the support of many. He has also promised to launch a mass deportation campaign targeting immigrants in the country illegally.

He also made headlines back in July when he became the target of an assassination attempt during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, having been shot in the ear during his speech and blood quickly became visible on his face.

Now that Trump is back in the saddle, his win could impact several matters significant to the Philippines and other parts of the globe. Here's Why the 2024 US presidential election matters to the Philippines—and the rest of the world.