Ten surprising facts about Donald Trump on his 80th birthday

Donald Trump turned 80, and the article recaps 10 lesser-known facts about the U.S. president, businessman, television personality, and global media figure who remains one of the world’s most polarizing and talked-about people. It notes his path from real estate heir to reality-TV star to returning to the White House, along with scandals, bankruptcies, and enduring fame.

As a child, Trump reportedly wanted a baseball career before his father pushed him into the family business. At 13, after discipline problems, he was sent to a military academy in New York, where he thrived and became a company captain. Though he often presents himself as a self-made success story, he entered real estate through his father Fred Trump’s large and successful New York development business.

His public profile grew long before politics through the reality show The Apprentice, where his line “You’re fired” became iconic. He also became a familiar entertainment figure, appearing as himself in numerous films and TV shows, including Home Alone 2, Zoolander, and Wall Street 2, and later received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Despite his billionaire image, several of his companies and casinos went through bankruptcies and major financial troubles, and at times large banks refused to do business with him.

The article adds that Trump says he has never drunk alcohol or smoked, attributing that choice to the impact of his brother’s death from alcoholism. He also owned the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA pageants for years, wrote more than 14 books, and is father to five children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, and Barron, with 10 grandchildren.