Donald Trump: The Unconventional Path to Presidency
Donald John Trump, 1946-present, photographed in California, on Friday, September 13, 2024
Image credits: Bloomberg, Getty Images
Donald J. Trump’s education is frequently dismissed by critics, who highlight his perceived lack of critical thinking and analytical skills. In contrast, Trump’s supporters argue that his success came “in spite of his education,” a sentiment articulated by Harvey Epstein, an economics professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania during Trump’s time as a student there. Indeed, many scholars argue that Trump’s populist appeal as a presidential candidate stemmed from his ability to tap into cultural and economic anxieties rather than his intelligence or education.
Despite the criticism, Trump has consistently maintained that he received a top-tier education and views himself as highly intelligent. So, what is true and what is “fake news” regarding Trump’s education? And how significant was the impact of his education on his success? Whether one sees Trump as a high performer or “unremarkable” as a student, it is clear that both his formal and informal schooling fundamentally shaped his trajectory toward becoming the 45th president of the United States—and more so than people acknowledge.
Young Trump grew up in Queens, New York, photo taken c. 1948
Image credits: BBC.com
In 1946, Trump was born into a wealthy family who had made their money in the property business. His father, Fred Trump—who more than one newspaper referred to as “the Henry Ford of real estate”—ran a successful construction company in the outer boroughs of New York, focusing on Brooklyn and Queens. From Donald’s early years at the New York Military Academy to his time at Fordham University and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he spent the school breaks with his father learning about the family business.
Trump’s academic journey is interwoven with tales of privilege, controversy, and self-promotion. It’s during this time that he began to cultivate the unwavering confidence in his abilities that would later define his public persona. Rona Barrett asked Trump in a never-aired TV interview in 1980 what he would do if he suddenly lost his fortune, to which he coyly replied, “Maybe I’d run for president,” a reflection of the self-assuredness that is often cultivated at elite educational institutions, and yet also seemed to transcend the confidence any formal education could give him.
From Queens to the military academy
Trump’s early education began in the private Kew-Forest School in Forest Hills, Queens, where he quickly made his presence known. “I was a very assertive, aggressive kid,” Trump recalled in Trump: The Art of the Deal. “I was always a leader.” However, his time at Kew-Forest was marked by behavioral issues, leading his parents to enroll him in the New York Military Academy (NYMA), a private boarding school, when he was 13 years old. This choice groups Trump with a small group of five former presidents who attended military school.
Donald Trump's school record from 1959
Image credits: Getty Images
At NYMA, Trump found himself in a strict, regimented environment that was probably not too dissimilar to his home—Fred Trump being characterized as “a tough, hard-driving guy” who taught Trump there were only two kinds of people in this world: winners (or “killers”) and losers. Trump thrived under the academy’s emphasis on discipline, leadership, and self-reliance—elements that would later become hallmarks of his public persona. “I learned a lot about discipline and about channeling my aggression into achievement,” Trump wrote in his book Trump: The Art of the Deal.
Trump excelled in athletics, particularly baseball. He rose to become a captain in his senior year, savoring the spotlight and the sense of leadership that came with it. “I was always the best athlete,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal in 2018. This early taste of success would prove influential in his later pursuits, as he would often tout his ‘winning’ record as a businessman and politician.
From Fordham to Wharton: Trump’s higher education
Trump’s college career began in 1964 at Fordham University, a private Jesuit institution in the Bronx, New York. Trump himself has remained tight-lipped about this period, with Fordham following standard practice by keeping his records private. Two years later, Trump made what he later described as a major leap forward by transferring to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a move that he frequently referenced as a testament to his intellect and business savvy. “I got into Wharton,” Trump has often remarked, “which is the hardest school to get into. It proves I’m a smart guy.” Wharton, renowned for its business program, became a key talking point for Trump throughout his career, with the president frequently name-dropping the prestigious school to help solidify his image as a self-made man.
Trump mentions Wharton often to solidify his image as a self-made man.
Video credits: Allie Caren/The Washington Post, Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images/The Washington Post
Trump’s path to Wharton wasn’t without its share of scrutiny. In The Art of the Deal, he claimed his admission was “easy,” but later reports suggested that a family connection—a friend working in admissions—may have played a role in his transfer. Additionally, despite his reliance on the Wharton name to fortify his credentials as a presidential candidate, Trump graduated with a BS in Economics, which is less common among U.S. presidents, who often have degrees in fields like law, history, or political science. He also did not pursue postgraduate study, whereas roughly half of U.S. presidents had attended graduate school. Though he is not alone in this statistic: in recent history, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush also did not attend. For Trump, Wharton’s undergraduate program remained a cornerstone of his public narrative, and for him, it was enough.
Fred and Donald Trump at Donald's graduation from Wharton in 1968; he obtained a BS in Economics
Image credits: Boston Globe
The influence of family
While Trump’s formal education was taking shape at the NYMA and Wharton, his informal education in business and real estate continued at home. His father, Fred Trump, was a significant influence, often taking young Donald to construction sites and involving him in discussions about the family business. This dual education—the discipline and structure of military school combined with the practical business knowledge from his father—laid the foundation for Trump’s future career. It instilled in him a confidence and assertiveness that would become hallmarks of his public persona, as well as a keen interest in real estate and deal-making.
From real estate mogul to reality TV star to presidential candidate
In 1987, Trump published Trump: The Art of the Deal, co-authored with journalist Tony Schwartz. This bestseller marked a significant turning point in Trump’s ascent to national prominence, capitalizing on the momentum from major real estate deals and legal victories, like Trump Tower and the Wollman Rink revitalization.
Donald Trump in 1986, standing in the Wollman Rink
Image credits: Getty Images
Trump’s fame grew further when he starred in The Apprentice, where his catchphrase "You’re fired!" became iconic. He also made cameos in popular media like Home Alone and Saturday Night Live. This media presence, cultivated over decades, would prove invaluable in his later political career.
As Trump transitioned from entertainment to politics, he brought his unique background to the presidential race. During debates, he approached political discourse more like business negotiations or reality TV confrontations. This unconventional style, which supporters found authentic and opponents considered unprofessional, set him apart from traditional candidates.
Trump’s fame, built on his business career and reality TV stardom, gave him a significant advantage in earning media coverage during his presidential campaign. His ability to command attention and drive news cycles, a skill developed through formal education and honed through years of media interactions, became a cornerstone of his political strategy.
Key factors in Trump’s rise include:
Bold business moves—Taking risks in ventures like Manhattan real estate.
Media savvy—Keeping himself in the public eye.
Branding expertise—Marketing himself and his properties effectively.
Plain speaking—A direct communication style that appealed to a broad audience.
Trump on Saturday Night Live, during the "Donald Trump's House of Wings" sketch on April 3, 2004, on the heels of The Apprentice.
Image credits: Getty Images
While many attribute Donald Trump’s rise to charisma and media savvy, it’s essential to recognize the educational foundations that shaped his path. His bold business decisions—often seen as natural risk-taking—were nurtured by a formative background that encouraged ambition and competition. The hands-on experience he gained during school breaks, learning the ropes of the family business, gave him a head start in understanding branding and public perception.
Moreover, Trump’s formative years at military school, often focused on discipline and leadership, likely fostered his direct, no-nonsense communication style—an approach that resonated with many voters. Far from being purely a product of entertainment, Trump’s ascent was underpinned by educational experiences that cultivated his unique blend of business acumen and media proficiency, key elements in his political success and ultimate journey to the White House.
Trump stands in ceremonial robes before receiving an honorary award of Doctor of Business Administration from Robert Gordon University on October 8, 2010 in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Image credits: Getty Images
Redefining the presidency
Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency is often attributed to his business acumen, media mastery, and populist appeal, with some historians, such as Thomas Frank, dismissing his educational background as incidental to his success. This perspective overlooks the deep impact of Trump’s formative years, particularly the role education played in shaping his personality. While his wealth and privilege certainly afforded him the safety net, the discipline he learned at New York Military Academy, the business principles he encountered at Wharton, and the lessons from his father’s real estate empire shaped his assertiveness, confidence, and capacity for risk.
One of Trump’s defining traits as a public figure is his plain-speaking style. His direct, no-nonsense communication mirrored the straightforward language likely instilled in military school, where clarity and assertiveness were highly valued. His verbal communication style was potentially calculated—even from the very first TV interviews he gave in early adulthood; the fact it resonated with the U.S. electorate may also reflect a broader trend in American politics toward anti-intellectualism and simpler rhetoric. Regardless, his ability to harness this style reveals the lasting influence of his education.
Donald Trump, standing up after an assassination attempt on Saturday, July 13, 2024. He has blood on his face and raises his fist to the crowd, surrounded by Secret Service agents in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Image credits: Evan Vucci, AP
Andrew Sullivan points to a lack of critical thinking, while Jonathan Metzl underscores Trump’s skill in tapping into cultural anxieties rather than crediting his academic background. Yet to dismiss his education as irrelevant is to overlook how it shaped his worldview and provided him with tools he used—often unpredictably—to navigate his career. The dichotomy of “in spite of” versus “because of” Trump’s education oversimplifies the influence of Trump’s formative years. His education has clearly played a positive role in his journey to power—perhaps not as significantly as Trump himself believes, but it undeniably equipped him with key tools that influenced his trajectory.
Ultimately, Trump’s educational journey reminds us that education takes many forms, not all of which are easily measured by traditional success metrics. His pathway invites a reconsideration of how leadership can be shaped in unconventional ways, and how deeply one’s educational experiences—formal, practical, and personal—can influence a career, even when that influence is not immediately obvious.
For more educational biographies of influential figures, see Top of the Class.
Sources
BBC News, Donald Trump: His life in pictures, BBC.com, 2010
Cohen, M., Disloyal: A Memoir, 2020
Columbus, C. (Director), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, 20th Century Fox, 1992
Frank, T., Four More Years: The Trump reelection nightmare and how we can stop it, Harper’s Magazine, 2018
Kayam, O., The Readability and Simplicity of Donald Trump’s Language, Political Studies Review, 2018
Kranish, M., Trump has referred to his Wharton degree as ‘super genius stuff.’ An admissions officer recalls it differently. The Washington Post, 2019
Kranish, M., & Fisher, M, An American dream, Netflix, 2017
Michaels, L. (Creator), Saturday Night Live, NBC Television, 2004
Sullivan, A., What I got wrong about Trump, Unherd, 2024
Trump, D. J., Crippled America: How to make America great again, 2015
Trump, D. J., & Schwartz, T., Trump: The art of the deal, 1987
U.S. Presidential Debates, 2016
Various TV networks, The Apprentice, NBC Television, 2004-2015