Donald Trump will be sworn in as President of the United States for a second term. The 78-year-old defeated Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in a race that started off exciting but ultimately became one-sided as Trump swept through swing states. Trump is one of the most special American presidents because he is not a career politician. His path to the Oval Office passed through boardrooms, movie roles and TV show sets.

Donald Trump, the entertainer

While he was known as a real estate mogul in New York in the 1980s, Donald Trump rose to national fame through cameo appearances in films and eventually starring in reality shows. His first on-screen appearance was in the 1989 film Ghosts Can’t Do It, before famously playing himself in Home Alone 2. In 1994, he played someone other than himself on screen for the first time in The Little Rascals. He later appeared in popular films such as Zoolander and The Associate. In the 1990s, he appeared 24 times on the Howard Stern Show, further increasing his popularity among the masses.

The Apprentice, WWE and international popularity

In 2003, Trump became the host and producer of the reality show The Apprentice. During this show, he revealed his snarky, no-nonsense business mogul persona. His catchphrase “You’re fired” quickly became part of pop culture, prompting Trump to trademark it. At the height of the show’s popularity, Trump earned $3 million per episode, making him one of the highest-paid TV celebrities in the world. Trump hosted The Apprentice until 2015, cementing his place in American pop culture. This led to a polarizing appearance in professional wrestling, where he feuded with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon in the famous ‘Battle of the Billionaires’ in 2007.

How media appearances helped Trump’s political career

For a long time, Donald Trump was America’s favorite punch line. Even after he made public his intention to run for president in 2016, many considered it a joke. Over the years, Trump has leveraged his media appearances to invade America’s living rooms. He was no longer just a billionaire, but a popular personality. He took advantage of this fame, which was different from the image of a politician, and added his ultra-right platform when he launched his candidacy in 2019. The end result was a charismatic, unconventional leader. Many Americans saw him as a break with the two-party system they had long sought. Trump used the skills he had built as a TV star in his campaign speeches and became the darling of conservative America.

That Trump was able to reclaim the center of American politics four years after he was defeated and written off speaks volumes about the cult-like following he has created. The genesis of this personality began on screen thirty years ago.