In case you haven’t been keeping up with the news, you haven’t been lucky enough to witness the Donald Trump comments and early rounds of 2016 presidential debates, or you’ve been living under a rock, then you should know that Trump is getting a lot of buzz and a lot of air time these days…and not always in a good way. Sure, he’s currently dominating his fellow Republican candidates; a recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University shows “Donald Trump smashing the GOP presidential competition garnering 28% support from registered Republican voters in the 17-member field. The real estate mogul’s closest competitor is retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who tallies 12%.” But he’s also making waves for his controversial comments, his I-don’t-give-a-crap attitude, and his complete (arguably unwarranted) confidence in his abilities to run this country.
His remarks—sometimes racist, sometimes sexist, often offensive and usually blunt to a fault—are making it increasingly hard not to pay attention to Donald Trump. In the process, we’re getting to know a lot more about this candidate than we ever hoped or expected. Here are 8 surprising facts about Donald Trump, most of which we wish we never knew. Whether you love him or hate him, can’t stand him or can’t get enough of him, this definitely won’t be the last you hear about Donald Trump 2016 or the litany of Donald Trump comments that are sure to plague our news feeds for a long while.
1. We Don’t Know How, But He’s Actually Well Educated
As the Washington Post reports, Trump attended University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, graduating with a BS in economics in 1968. This Ivy League graduate, though he often makes idiotic remarks, is definitely book smart. Exactly how he got into this prestigious University is up for debate, but yes, Trump is a smart cookie.
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2. He works Hard to Achieve That Hair
Not that you thought his hair actually grew in that strange, gravity-defying style, but he does not wake up looking like that. It takes time and effort to blow-dry his hair forward, and then comb it back each day. But as CNN tells it, it’s 100% not a toupee.
3. He has a Place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Michael Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Elizabeth Taylor and Donald Trump. Believe it or not, Trump has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which he was given back in 2007 for his role as producer of NBC’s The Apprentice.
4. He has filed for bankruptcy…more than once
While Trump is using his business and real-estate success as well as his wealth as major reasons he should be elected president, his companies have actually had pretty negative track records and have filed for bankruptcy…on four separate occasions! As per Forbes, His Taj Mahal hotel in Atlantic City, the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts and Trump Entertainment Resorts all filed for bankruptcy between 1991 and 2009. Count ‘em.
5. Trump doubted that President Obama was born in the United States of America
While there were a lot of individuals who had doubts over where President Barack Obama was born, Trump was a major player in the movement that questioned President Obama’s birthplace and the legitimacy of his birth certificate.
6. His first job was in Coney Island
Shortly after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Trump began working for his father, Fred Trump, at his real-estate firm where they were “buying tremendous numbers of well-financed, well-located apartment buildings in Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey, which turned out to be excellent investments. Unexciting, but excellent investments,” as he explained in an interview with Town and Country.
7. His parents and grandparents were all immigrants
Despite his strong stance on immigration laws (in his words, that illegal immigrants “have to go”), Trump comes from a family of immigrants. His mother was a Scottish immigrant, while his paternal grandparents immigrated to the US from Germany.
8. His net worth is controversial—but it’s REALLY high
While Trump claims that his net worth is over $10 billion, other reports show his worth at $2.9 billion, and others still at about $4 billion. The exact number ranges depending on who you ask and how they calculate his wealth, but one thing is for sure: he is, according to USA Today, by far the wealthiest candidate in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.
