On January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump pulled off the impossible and became the 45th President of the United States.

Much like his presidency thus far, his life and personality has been well-documented and rife with panache.

Here are a few photos that depict the President’s life journey.

An original version of this post ran on June 14, Trump’s 70th birthday.


Bound for the rigors of business school in the future, Donald Trump received discipline at an early age by attending a military academy. There, he reportedly excelled in extracurricular activities such as being the Honor Cadet.

Foto: Donald Trump in the New York Military Academy's 1964 yearbook. source Business Insider via Classmates

Source: Classmates


As someone who loves the art of negotiation, Donald Trump was able to negotiate New York City to provide a 40-year tax abatement for the Grand Hyatt Hotel — the first ever granted to a commercial property.

Foto: Gov. Hugh Carey, accompanied by Trump, points to an artist's conception of the hotel that will be built on the site of the former Commodore Hotel on June 28, 1978. source AP

Source: The Trump Organization


Master renovator: Trump offered to renovate decrepit areas in need, such as a long-closed ice-skating rink, at no profit to himself, after the city's renovation effort went through five years of delays and more than double the original cost estimate.

Foto: Here, Donald Trump poses with New York City's Parks Commissioner, Henry Stern, holding a pair of ice skates that are intended for use at the Wollman Rink in Central Park on August 7, 1986. source Paul Burnett/AP

Source: AP


Trump's enterprise also stretched out into sports, where he was the original owner of the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League.

Foto: Donald Trump shakes hands with Herschel Walker in New York after an agreement on a four-year contract with the New Jersey Generals USFL football team on March 8, 1984. source Dave Pickoff/AP

Trump owns a fleet of luxury helicopters.

Foto: Donald Trump in front of one of three Sikorsky helicopters at the Port Authority's West 30 Street heliport on March 22, 1988. source AP Photo/Wilbur Funches

Trump also enjoys tennis — he even played a round, wearing his traditional suit, against the legendary Serena Williams.

Foto: Donald Trump talks with his former wife, Ivana Trump, during the men's final at the US Open. source Mike Blake/Reuters

Trump was also notorious for befriending attractive supermodels. His first wife, Ivana, a Czech-American, was a member of the social elite.

Foto: Donald Trump and his former wife, Ivana, pose outside the federal courthouse after she was sworn in as a US citizen in May 1988. source Reuters

No expense was spared for his belongings, as Donald Trump once paid the sultan of Brunei $30 million for a nearly 300-foot yacht.

Foto: Donald Trump waves to reporters with his former wife, Ivana, as they board their luxury yacht, The Trump Princess, in New York City. source Marty Lederhandler/AP

Source: AP


Being the entertaining host, Trump also spared no expense in providing a spectacular show for friends and family.

Foto: Donald Trump watches as his ex-wife, Marla Maples, gets a kiss from Earl Sinclair of TV's "Dinosaurs" during lunch at the Trump Plaza Hotel on November 2, 1992. source Henry Ray Abrams/Reuters

As a self-proclaimed family man, Trump attended many public events and television shows with his family, even before his current campaign.

Foto: Donald Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, peek over the crowd as they take in a tennis match during the US Open in New York. source Roh Frehm/AP

Source: Oprah


Trump first started showing signs of interest for a possible bid for the US presidency with the formation of a presidential exploratory committee ahead of the 2000 election.

Foto: Donald Trump talks with host Larry King after taping a segment of King's CNN talk show in New York. source Reuters

Source: Reuters


To test the political waters, the potential Reform Party presidential candidate traveled to several areas to address party leaders.

Foto: Donald Trump makes an appearance for the media atop a Beverly Hills, California, hotel on December 6, 1999. source Chris Pizzello/AP

Source: AP


In 2005, Donald Trump married fashion designer and model Melania Trump.

Foto: Donald Trump and Melania Trump leave Hollinger International's annual meeting at the Metropolitan Club in New York on May 22, 2003. source Peter Morgan/Reuters

Source: PolitiFact


As no stranger to the political process, Donald Trump was even acquainted with members of the judicial branch.

Foto: US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, serving as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, speaks to Donald Trump on the starting grid at the Daytona International Speedway. source Reuters

He also became the owner of the infamous Miss Universe beauty pageant for many years.

Foto: Donald Trump and Miss Connecticut, Erin Brady, pose onstage after Brady won the 2013 Miss USA pageant. source AP Photo/Jeff Bottari, File

Unbeknownst to many, Donald Trump is a formidable opponent on the green. He owns 15 golf courses.

Foto: Donald Trump takes a swing on the 11th green of the Ocean Trails Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. source Damian Dovarganes/AP

Source: Golf


Sometimes, negotiating can be a tough sport. What better way to exert your dominance by taking the center stage among the world's most bombastic figures?

Foto: Donald Trump and Bobby Lashley shave the head of Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 23 in Detroit. source AP

Trump famously launched his presidential campaign in June 2015 by coming down an escalator in Trump Tower. Since then, he has weathered waves of controversy to become the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Foto: source Christopher Gregory/Getty Images

As the fog of the political battlefield has cleared on the Republican side, Trump is now preparing for a likely battle with presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Foto: Donald Trump looks out at the construction site of his 92-story tower along the Chicago river during a visit to his Chicago offices on April 10, 2006. Trump acknowledged that because of security concerns after the events of September 11, he abandoned plans for it to be the world's tallest building at 150 stories. source Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Trump made his final appeal to voters in swing-states as the contentious campaign drew to a close.

Foto: Donald Trump campaigns in New Hampshire. source Scott Eisen/Getty Images

President-elect Trump at his election night party at the Hilton Hotel in New York City.

Foto: Donald Trump in New York on election night. source Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Taking his oath of office on January 20, 2017, Trump officially becomes the 45th President of the United States.

Foto: Supreme Court Justice John Roberts (2L) administers the oath of office to President Donald Trump (L) as his wife Melania Trump holds the Bible and son Barron Trump looks on, on the West Front of the US Capitol. source Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Trump signed 90 executive actions during his first 100 days in office.

Foto: source Evan Vucci/AP

Trump meets with other world leaders at the G7 summit in Taormina, Italy on May 26, 2017.

Foto: source Guido Bergmann/Bundesregierung via Getty Images

After taking office, Trump's administration faltered under a series of scandals and missteps. One of these was his firing of FBI director James Comey, who was leading an investigation into Russia's meddling in the US election.

Foto: President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with James Comey, then-director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, during an Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on January 22, 2017 in Washington, DC. source Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images

As a businessman who prides himself as a seasoned dealmaker, Trump has had mixed success interacting with world leaders as president.

Foto: source Thomson Reuters

As the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Trump observed the sacrifices made by US service members on Memorial Day.

Foto: President Donald Trump lays flowers on the grave of Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly's son at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. US Marine Corps Lt. Robert Kelly was killed in 2010 while leading a patrol in Afghanistan. source Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

Trump's first foreign trip as president began in Saudi Arabia and ended in Italy last month.

Foto: President Donald Trump waves as he exits Marine One, May 27, 2017 in Sigonella, Italy. This visit marks President Trump's last stop of his first trip abroad since taking office. source US Navy

In Saudi Arabia, Trump was photographed with the infamous glowing orb that took social media by storm — like much of the news surrounding his fledgling presidency.

Foto: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, Saudi King Salman, and President Donald Trump visit a new Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. source Saudi Press Agency