Washington, Nov 6 (PTI) Four years back, Donald J Trump was a sullen man after he lost the presidential race to Joe Biden and left the White House with an uncertain political future.
And when a violent mob, mostly his supporters, stormed the US Capitol weeks later, it appeared an end to the Republican leader’s political career.
Four years later, the 78-year-old Republican made an unprecedented and forceful political comeback in American history by winning a second term in the White House in a bitter contest with Democratic leader Kamala Harris.
That too, after being convicted of a felony and surviving two assassination attempts.
“It is one of the biggest political comebacks in American history,” said Capitol Hill veteran and Communication Strategist Anang Mittal.
In March, Trump received his party’s nomination and it was formalised at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in July after remaining in the political wilderness for months following several court cases.
In effect, he became the first former president to get the nomination for the top office after being convicted of a felony.
Trump still faces four criminal indictments and it is not immediately clear what will happen to the cases.
The former president also survived an impeachment trial in 2021 that concluded with his acquittal.
Trump was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania in July, just days ahead of the Republican National Convention.
He suffered an upper ear injury. Minutes later, a bleeding Trump raised his fist in defiance, images that drew a lot of emotional support from his die-hard supporters.
“He is a survivor,” said Mittal.
Trump addressed his supporters in Florida with a message: “We are going to help our country heal.” “Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason,” he said, referring to the two assassination attempts on his life during the election campaign this year.
As he eyed the White House, Trump carefully crafted his campaign messages promising to rebuild the economy and rid the US of illegal immigrants.
All along the campaign trail, the Republican leader maintained an aggressive rhetoric against his Democratic challenger Harris, which many political commentators believed found a lot of traction among middle-class voters.
The rising inflation and price rise were identified by experts as two of the key issues impacting the lives of a large number of Americans.
Trump was born in Queens, New York, on June 14, 1946. His father, Fred Trump was a successful real estate developer.
Trump was educated at the New York Military Academy and the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1971, he took over his father’s real estate company, renaming it the Trump Organisation. The business soon became involved in a variety of projects, including hotels, resorts, residential and commercial buildings, casinos, and golf courses.
His first of many books was The Art of the Deal, published in 1987. In 2004, he launched the reality television show The Apprentice.
In 2005, Trump married Melania Knauss. They have one son, Barron. Trump also has four adult children from previous marriages: Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, and Tiffany.
During the 2016 primary, Trump defeated more than a dozen rivals to win the Republican nomination.
While he lost the popular vote, Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the general election by winning a majority of Electoral College votes. His campaign slogan was “Make America Great Again.” In his previous stint, Trump served as President from January 2017 to January 2021. PTI MPB GRS GRS
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