By Shalene White
There are not many people in the world who have never heard of President Donald Trump. To say he is one of the most polarized presidents and celebrities ever would be a gross understatement. Not too many people ride the fence on their view on Trump; most either love him or loathe him.
It does not matter what side of the fence a person resides, there is one thing everybody could agree on – Trump is a trailblazer. He enjoys living outside of the proverbial box.
Trump’s name resides on multiple lists of accolades. From receiving the Humanitarian Award by the National Jewish Health, to being induced into the Gaming Hall of Fame and the WWE Hall of Fame, Trump seems to gravitate toward award. He was even named the Most Admired Man for 2019 and 2020 by the Gallup Poll.
The president has also made history multiple times since taking the oath of office in 2016. He was the oldest incoming president. He turned 70 six months before taking office. Up until 2016, Ronald Reagan held that record taking oath at 69-years-old. President elect Joe Biden will smash that record, though, he will be 78 years old when he takes the oath for office.
Trump was the first billionaire president. Forbes assesses his fortune at $3.7 billion, but he claims his wealth is “in excess of $10 billion.”
He was known for picking the richest candidates to make up his cabinet. The Washington Post noted that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is currently worth around $2.5 billion. This amount is roughly ten times more than what George W. Bush’s first cabinet were worth in its entirety in 2001.
He was the first elected president with the least amount of political experience – at least in the past 60 years. Dwight Eisenhower also boasted that title when he was appointed the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in World War Two.
Trumps has some of the most powerful children. He appointed his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a senior adviser making him the most powerful presidential son-in-law in US history.
Many former presidents have all owned pets, and some were just as famous as their owners. George H.W. Bush had Millie, and English Springer Spaniel, Bill Clinton had Buddy, a Chocolate Lab, and Barack Obama had Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog. Many Americans were more interested in what the animals were up to than the actual presidents.
Trump made history by being the first president in over a century to not bring a pet into the White House. It was reported he planned on adopting a Goldendoodle, but that fell through.
Even with all of historical records and awards that Trump has garnered in his 74 years, he just added another historical claim – becoming the first president to be Impeached twice.
On January 13, 2021, the House voted to impeach Trump in his alleged role in inciting a riot at the US Capitol. The incident stems from January 6, 2021 when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying the election results.
Trump made a speech urging his followers to "peacefully and patriotically" be certain their voices were heard. However, another part of his speech used phrases such as “fight like hell."
An impeachment is not an actual conviction, it is the political version of an indictment. This means lawmakers believe there is enough evidence for him to stand trial and answer to his charges.
The difference between the first impeachment and the current one is this time, even a few Republicans voted for the impeachment. A total of 232 House members voted to begin the impeachment process, and 197 voted no. Liz Cheney, Tom Rice, Dan Newhouse, Adam Kinzinger, Anthony Gonzalez, Fred Upton, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Peter Meijer, John Katko, and David Valadao all voted in favor of the impeachment process. Each one citing Trump’s alleged calling for his followers to storm the Capitol.