Libtards Am I Right

Hurricane Dorian

Alabama

Bernie Sanders

2020 Us President #FeelTheBern

1+1

3

How many ex wives does Trump have

3

How long does it take a women to use the restroom?

9 months

Crooked Hillary

Cedar Rapids

The first metacarpal bone is located in the wrist. The scatterplot below shows the relationship between the length of the first metacarpal bone and height for 9 people. The line of best fit is also shown. The figure presents a graph of a scatterplot titled "Height of Nine People and Length of Their First Metacarpal Bone," and a line. The horizontal axis is labeled "Length of first metacarpal bone," in centimeters, and the vertical axis is labeled "Height," in centimeters. There are equally spaced horizontal gridlines labeled, from bottom to top, 155 through 185, in increments of 5. There are equally spaced vertical gridlines labeled, from left to right, 4 through 5, in increments of zero point five. A straight line of best fit starts on the leftmost vertical axis at 4 comma 161.5 and stops at the intersection of the rightmost vertical gridline at 5 comma 180. There are 9 data points in the graph. From left to right, the coordinates are as follows: First point: 4 comma 157, Second point: 4.1 comma 163, Third point: 4.3 comma 175, Fourth point: 4.5 comma 171, Fifth point: 4.6 comma 173, Sixth point: 4.7 comma 173, Seventh point: 4.8 comma 172, Eighth point: 4.9 comma 183, and Ninth point: 5 comma 178

Feel The Bern #Bernie2020 #BuildThe Wall

Ben Franklin is the leader of what favorite past time in Alabama

Incest

What do I drink

Liberal Tears

Yes

No

I'm glad he was arrested, but it was only because she's Muslim. If he were white, it would have been swept under the rug, and it has, numerous times already. Racism goes both ways people!

Mikey's Ex

The recommended daily calcium intake for a 20-year-old is 1,000 milligrams (mg). One cup of milk contains 299 mg of calcium and one cup of juice contains 261 mg of calcium. Which of the following inequalities represents the possible number of cups of milk m and cups of juice j a 20-year-old could drink in a day to meet or exceed the recommended daily calcium intake from these drinks alone?

Milk

A research assistant randomly selected 75 undergraduate students from the list of all students enrolled in the psychology-degree program at a large university. She asked each of the 75 students, "How many minutes per day do you typically spend reading?" The mean reading time in the sample was 89 minutes, and the margin of error for this estimate was 4.28 minutes. Another research assistant intends to replicate the survey and will attempt to get a smaller margin of error. Which of the following samples will most likely result in a smaller margin of error for the estimated mean time students in the psychology-degree program read per day?

Milk but Milkier

Page extended-protected Donald Trump From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search For other uses, see Donald Trump (disambiguation). Donald Trump Head shot of Trump smiling in front of an American flag. He is wearing a dark blue suit jacket, white shirt, light blue necktie, and American flag lapel pin. 45th President of the United States Incumbent Assumed office January 20, 2017 Vice President Mike Pence Preceded by Barack Obama Personal details Born Donald John Trump June 14, 1946 (age 73) Queens, New York City Political party Republican (1987-1999, 2009-2011, 2012-present) Other political affiliations Democratic (until 1987, 2001-2009) Reform (1999-2001) Independent (2011-2012) Spouse(s) Ivana Zelníčková (m. 1977; div. 1992) Marla Maples (m. 1993; div. 1999) Melania Knauss (m. 2005) Children Donald Jr.IvankaEricTiffanyBarron Parents Fred Trump Mary Anne MacLeod Relatives Trump family Residence White House (official) Trump Tower (personal) Full list Education The Wharton School (BS in Econ.) Occupation Politicianbusinessmanreal-estate developertelevision personality Net worth US$3.1 billion (March 2019)[a] Awards List of honors and awards Signature Donald J Trump stylized autograph, in ink Website Official website White House website Presidential Twitter Personal Twitter Donald Trump official portrait (cropped).jpg This article is part of a series about Donald Trump President of the United States Incumbent Presidency TransitionInaugurationTimelineExecutive actions proclamationspardonsTrips 201720182019internationalSummits RiyadhSingaporeHelsinkiHanoiDMZShutdowns Jan 20182018-2019PollsProtests Impeachment inquiry Efforts to impeachTrump-Ukraine controversy Appointments Cabinet formationAmbassadorsFederal judges GorsuchKavanaughSupreme Court candidatesU.S. AttorneysDismissals Comey Policies Economy tax cutstariffsChina trade warinfrastructureEnvironment Paris withdrawalForeign policy Iran dealJerusalemGolanImmigration travel banwallfamily separationmigrant detentionsnational emergencySocial issues cannabisSpace Presidential campaigns Controversies involving Russia Business and personal Business career The Trump OrganizationThe Apprenticewealthtax returnsBooksEponymsFamilyFoundationGolfHonorsLegal affairs Stormy DanielsNicknamesRacial viewsResidencesSocial mediaVeracity vte Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is the 45th and current president of the United States. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality. Trump was born and raised in the New York City borough of Queens, and received a B.S. degree in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He took charge of his family's real-estate business in 1971, renamed it The Trump Organization, and expanded it from Queens and Brooklyn into Manhattan. The company built or renovated skyscrapers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses. Trump later started various side ventures, mostly by licensing his name. Trump is credited as co-author of several books, including The Art of the Deal. He owned the Miss Universe and Miss USA beauty pageants from 1996 to 2015, and produced and hosted The Apprentice, a reality television show, from 2003 to 2015. Forbes estimates his net worth to be $3.1 billion. Trump entered the 2016 presidential race as a Republican and defeated 16 other candidates in the primaries. His political positions have been described as populist, protectionist, and nationalist. He was elected in a surprise victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, although he lost the popular vote.[b] He became the oldest first-term U.S. president,[c] and the first one without prior military or government service. His election and policies have sparked numerous protests. Trump has made many false or misleading statements during his campaign and presidency. The statements have been documented by fact-checkers, and the media have widely described the phenomenon as unprecedented in American politics. Many of his comments and actions have also been characterized as racially charged or racist. During his presidency, Trump ordered a travel ban on citizens from several Muslim-majority countries, citing security concerns; after legal challenges, the Supreme Court upheld the policy's third revision. He enacted a tax-cut package for individuals and businesses, which also rescinded the individual health insurance mandate and allowed oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge. He appointed Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. In foreign policy, Trump has pursued an America First agenda, withdrawing the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Iran nuclear deal. He recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, imposed import tariffs triggering a trade war with China, and started negotiations with North Korea towards their denuclearization. A special counsel investigation found that Russian interference in the 2016 election favored Trump. Insufficient evidence was found to establish conspiracy or coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. On obstruction of justice, the investigation did not exonerate Trump, referring the evidence to Congress. The Attorney General deemed the evidence insufficient to charge Trump. Separately, the U.S. House of Representatives initiated a formal impeachment inquiry against Trump in September 2019 regarding abuse of power for political purposes. The inquiry emerged over revelations that Trump, and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, repeatedly pressured the government of the Ukraine to investigate fellow 2020 presidential candidate and potential political opponent Joe Biden. According to the testimony of multiple White House officials, this was part of a executive coverup and campaign to "advance" Trump's "personal interests" using the power of the presidency. Contents 1 Family and personal life 1.1 Early life and education 1.2 Family 1.3 Religion 1.4 Health and lifestyle 1.5 Wealth 2 Business career 2.1 Real estate 2.2 Branding and licensing 2.3 Lawsuits and bankruptcies 2.4 Side ventures 2.5 Foundation 2.6 Conflicts of interest 3 Media career 3.1 Books 3.2 Film and television 3.3 Radio and television commentary 4 Political career 4.1 Political activities up to 2015 4.2 2016 presidential campaign 4.3 Election to the presidency 4.4 Protests 4.5 2020 presidential campaign 5 Presidency 5.1 Early actions 5.2 Domestic policy 5.3 Immigration 5.4 Foreign policy 5.5 Personnel 5.6 Dismissal of James Comey 6 Public profile 6.1 Approval ratings 6.2 False statements 6.3 Racial views 6.4 Allegations of sexual misconduct 6.5 Allegations of inciting violence 6.6 Relationship with the press 6.7 Popular culture 6.8 Social media 6.9 Recognition 7 Investigations 7.1 Hush payments 7.2 Russian interference 7.3 Special counsel investigation 7.4 Associates 7.5 2019 congressional investigation 7.6 Impeachment inquiry 8 Notes 9 References 9.1 Works cited 10 Further reading 11 External links Family and personal life Early life and education Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946, at the Jamaica Hospital in the borough of Queens, New York City.[1][2] His father was Frederick Christ Trump, a Bronx-born real estate developer, whose own parents were German immigrants. His mother was Scottish-born housewife and socialite Mary Anne MacLeod Trump.[3] Trump grew up in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood of Queens, and attended the Kew-Forest School from kindergarten through seventh grade.[4][5] At age 13, he was enrolled in the New York Military Academy, a private boarding school. He excelled at sports. His favorite sport was golf, and he was a tight end on the football team in his freshman and sophomore years.[6][7][8] In 1964, Trump enrolled at Fordham University.[9][10] Two years later he transferred to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania[10][11] after an interview with an admissions officer who had been a classmate of Trump's brother Fred.[11][12] While at Wharton, he worked at the family business, Elizabeth Trump & Son,[13] graduating in May 1968 with a B.S. in economics.[10][14][15] The Boston Globe in 2015 contacted some of Trump's former Wharton classmates, who described him as a vocal but unexceptional student, rarely participating in campus activities and instead pursuing his business career.[16] A black-and-white photograph of Donald Trump as a teenager, smiling and wearing a dark pseudo-military uniform with various badges and a light-colored stripe crossing his right shoulder Senior yearbook photo of Trump in 1964 wearing the uniform of his private boarding school, New York Military Academy While in college, Trump obtained four student draft deferments.[17][18] In 1966, he was deemed fit for military service based upon a medical examination, and in July 1968 a local draft board classified him as eligible to serve.[19] In October 1968, he was medically deferred and classified 1-Y: "Unqualified for duty except in the case of a national emergency".[20] Trump said in 2015 that the medical deferment was due to a bone spur in his feet and that he could not remember which foot was afflicted; his presidential campaign stated that he had minor bone spurs in both heels and that they were expected to be temporary.[20] In 1972, he was reclassified 4-F, which permanently disqualified him from service.[21][22] In the December 1969 draft lottery, Trump's birthday, June 14, received a high number that would have given him a low probability of being called up.[20][21] Profiles of Trump published in The New York Times in 1973 and 1976 erroneously reported as fact that he had graduated first in his class at Wharton. A 1984 Times profile of Trump noted that he had never made the school's honor roll. In 1988, he acknowledged this to New York magazine.[23] Family Main article: Family of Donald Trump Further information: Trump family Trump's ancestors on his father's side came from the German village of Kallstadt in the Palatinate,[24] and on his mother's side from the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.[25] His paternal grandfather, Frederick Trump, immigrated to the United States in 1885 at age 16 and became a citizen in 1892.[26] He married Elisabeth Christ in 1902, and the couple settled in New York in 1905.[24] Frederick died during the 1918 flu pandemic.[27] Trump's father Fred was born in 1905 in the Bronx and started working with his mother in real estate when he was 15, shortly after his father's death. Their company, "E. Trump & Son",[d] founded in 1923,[32] was active in the New York boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn, building and selling thousands of houses, barracks, and apartments.[33] In spite of his German ancestry, Fred claimed to be Swedish amid the anti-German sentiment sparked by World War II;[34][35] Trump repeated this claim, including in his book The Art of the Deal, until the 1990s.[35][36] Trump's mother Mary Anne MacLeod was born in Tong, Lewis, Scotland, to a Gaelic-speaking family. At age 18 in 1930, she emigrated to New York, where she worked as a maid.[37] Fred and Mary were married in 1936 and raised their family in Queens.[37][38] Trump grew up with three elder siblings—Maryanne, Fred Jr., and Elizabeth—and younger brother Robert. Trump is sworn in as president by Chief Justice John Roberts on January 20, 2017: Trump, his wife Melania, and his children Donald Jr., Barron, Ivanka, Eric, and Tiffany In 1977, Trump married Czech model Ivana Zelníčková.[39][40] They have three children, Donald Jr. (born 1977), Ivanka (born 1981), and Eric (born 1984), and ten grandchildren.[41] Ivana became a naturalized United States citizen in 1988.[42] The couple divorced in 1992, following Trump's affair with actress Marla Maples.[43] Maples and Trump married in 1993[44][45] and had one daughter, Tiffany (born 1993).[46] They were divorced in 1999,[47] and Tiffany was raised by Marla in California.[48] In 2005, Trump married Slovenian model Melania Knauss.[49] They have one son, Barron (born 2006).[50] Melania gained United States citizenship in 2006.[51] Religion Trump is a Presbyterian.[52] His ancestors were Lutheran on his paternal grandfather's side in Germany[53] and Presbyterian on his mother's side in Scotland.[54] His parents married in a Presbyterian church in 1936.[55] As a child, he attended the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, where he had his confirmation.[56] In the 1970s, his parents joined the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan,[57] part of the Reformed Church.[58] The pastor at Marble, Norman Vincent Peale,[56] ministered to Trump's family and mentored him until Peale's death in 1993.[59][57] Trump says he is "not sure" whether he ever asked God for forgiveness: "If I do something wrong, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture." He tries to take Holy Communion as often as possible because it makes him "feel cleansed".[60] While campaigning, Trump referred to The Art of the Deal as his second favorite book saying, "Nothing beats the Bible."[61] Trump has associations with a number of Christian spiritual leaders, including Florida pastor Paula White, who has been called his "closest spiritual confidant".[62] In 2015, he released a list of religious advisers, which included James Dobson, Jerry Falwell Jr., Ralph Reed, Michele Bachmann, and Robert Jeffress.[63][64] Health and lifestyle Trump abstains from alcohol, a reaction to his older brother Fred Trump Jr.'s alcoholism and early death,[65] and claims to have never smoked cigarettes or cannabis.[66] He is known to enjoy eating fast food.[67] He has said he prefers three to four hours of sleep per night.[68] In December 2015, Harold Bornstein, who had been Trump's personal physician since 1980, released a letter stating that he would "be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency".[69] Bornstein noted that Trump had an appendectomy at age 10, but did not mention the bone spurs that Trump said caused his medical deferment from the military at age 22.[21] A follow-up letter by Bornstein in September 2016 showed Trump's blood pressure, liver and thyroid functions to be in normal ranges, and that he takes a statin to control cholesterol. In May 2018, Bornstein said Trump himself had dictated the contents of the December 2015 letter,[70] and that three Trump representatives, including longtime bodyguard Keith Schiller, had taken away his medical records in February 2017.[71][72] In January 2018, Trump was examined by White House physician Ronny Jackson, who said he was in excellent health and that his cardiac assessment revealed no medical issues,[73] although his weight and cholesterol level were higher than recommended.[74] Several outside cardiologists commented that Trump's weight, lifestyle, and LDL cholesterol level ought to have raised serious concerns about his cardiac health.[75] In February 2019, after a new examination, White House physician Sean Conley said Trump was in "very good health overall", although he was clinically obese.[76] His 2019 coronary CT calcium scan score indicates he suffers from coronary artery disease, which is common for white males at his age.[77] He has called golfing his "primary form of exercise",[78] although he usually does not walk the course.[79][80] He considers exercise a waste of energy, because he believes the body is "like a battery, with a finite amount of energy" which is depleted by exercise.[81][82] Wealth Main article: Wealth of Donald Trump See also: Tax returns of Donald Trump In 1982, Trump was listed on the initial Forbes List of wealthy individuals as having a share of his family's estimated $200 million net worth. His financial losses in the 1980s caused him to be dropped from the list between 1990 and 1995, and reportedly obliged him to borrow from his siblings' trusts in 1993.[83] In its 2019 billionaires ranking, Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $3.1 billion[a] (715th in the world, 259th in the U.S.)[86] making him one of the richest politicians in American history and the first billionaire American president.[86] During the three years since Trump announced his presidential run in 2015, Forbes estimated his net worth declined 31% and his ranking fell 138 spots.[87] When he filed mandatory financial disclosure forms with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) in July 2015, Trump claimed a net worth of about $10 billion;[88] however FEC figures cannot corroborate this estimate because they only show each of his largest buildings as being worth over $50 million, yielding total assets worth more than $1.4 billion and debt over $265 million.[89] Trump reported hundreds of millions of dollars of yearly income from 2014 to 2018.[88][90][91] Trump stated in a 2007 deposition, "My net worth fluctuates, and it goes up and down with markets and with attitudes and with feelings, even my own feelings."[92] Journalist Jonathan Greenberg reported in April 2018 that Trump, using a pseudonym "John Barron", called him in 1984 to falsely assert he then owned "in excess of ninety percent" of the Trump family's business in an effort to secure a higher ranking on the Forbes 400 list of wealthy Americans. Greenberg also wrote that Forbes had vastly overestimated Trump's wealth and wrongly included him on the Forbes 400 rankings of 1982, 1983, and 1984.[93] Trump has often said he began his career with "a small loan of one million dollars" from his father, and that he had to pay it back with interest.[94] In October 2018, The New York Times reported that Trump "was a millionaire by age 8", borrowed at least $60 million from his father, largely failed to reimburse him, and had received $413 million (adjusted for inflation) from his father's business empire over his lifetime.[95][96] According to the report, Trump and his family committed tax fraud, which a lawyer for Trump denied; the tax department of New York says it is "vigorously pursuing all appropriate avenues of investigation" into it.[97][98] Analyses by The Economist and The Washington Post have concluded that Trump's investments have under-performed the stock market.[99][100] Forbes estimated in October 2018 that the value of Trump's personal brand licensing business had declined by 88% since 2015, to $3 million.[101] Trump's tax returns from 1985 to 1994 show net losses totaling $1.17 billion over the ten-year period, in contrast to his claims about his financial health and business abilities. The New York Times reported that "year after year, Mr. Trump appears to have lost more money than nearly any other individual American taxpayer", and Trump's "core business losses in 1990 and 1991—more than $250 million each year—were more than double those of the nearest taxpayers in the I.R.S. information for those years". In 1995 his reported losses were $915.7 million.[102][103] Business career Main article: Business career of Donald Trump Further information: Business projects of Donald Trump in Russia Real estate The distinctive façade of Trump Tower, the headquarters of the Trump Organization, in Midtown Manhattan Trump began his career in 1968 at his father Fred's real estate development company, E. Trump & Son, which owned middle-class rental housing in New York City's outer boroughs.[104][105] Trump worked for his father to revitalize the Swifton Village apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio, which the elder Trump had bought in 1964.[106][107] The management of the property was sued for racial discrimination in 1969,[107] and again in 1973.[108] In 1971, Trump was promoted to president of the company, and renamed it The Trump Organization.[109] The Trumps sold the property in 1972, with vacancy on the rise.[107] Manhattan developments Trump has embarked on numerous ventures in the New York borough of Manhattan. In 1978, Trump launched his Manhattan real estate business by purchasing a fifty percent stake in the derelict Commodore Hotel, located next to Grand Central Terminal. The purchase was funded largely by a $70 million construction loan that was guaranteed jointly by Fred Trump and the Hyatt hotel chain.[110][111] When the remodeling was finished, the hotel reopened in 1980 as the Grand Hyatt Hotel.[112] The same year, Trump obtained the rights to develop Trump Tower, a 58-story, 664-foot-high (202 m) mixed-use skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan.[113][114] Trump Tower was completed in 1983 and houses Trump's primary residence and the headquarters of the Trump Organization.[115][116] In 1988, Trump acquired the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan for $407 million with a loan of $425 million from a consortium of banks. Despite profitability of the hotel improving considerably by 1990, the hotel filed for bankruptcy protection, and a bankruptcy plan was approved in 1992.[117] In 1995, Trump gave up ownership of the hotel for $325 million to two billionaires from Singapore and Saudi Arabia who assumed $300 million of the debt and to Citibank which assumed the rest.[118][119] In 1996, Trump acquired the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building, which was a vacant seventy-one story skyscraper on Wall Street. After an extensive renovation, the high-rise was renamed the Trump Building at 40 Wall Street.[120] In 1997, he began construction on Riverside South, which he dubbed Trump Place, a multi-building development along the Hudson River. He and the other investors in the project ultimately sold their interest for $1.8 billion in 2005 in what was then the biggest residential sale in the history of New York City.[121] From 1994 to 2002, Trump owned a fifty percent share of the Empire State Building.[122] Palm Beach estate Main article: Mar-a-Lago Mar-a-Lago in 2009 In 1985, Trump acquired the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, for $10 million, $7 million for the real estate and $3 million for the furnishings.[123][124] His initial offer of $28 million had been rejected, and he was able to obtain the property for the lower price after a real estate market "slump".[125] The home was built in the 1920s by heiress and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post.[126] After her death, her heirs unsuccessfully tried to donate the property to the government before putting it up for sale.[126][127] In addition to using a wing of the estate as a home, Trump turned Mar-a-Lago into a private club. In order to join, prospective members had to pay an initiation fee and annual dues.[128] The initiation fee was $100,000 until 2016; it was doubled to $200,000 in January 2017.[129] Atlantic City casinos After New Jersey legalized casino gambling in 1977, Trump traveled to Atlantic City to explore new business opportunities. Seven years later, he opened Harrah's at Trump Plaza hotel and casino; the project was built by Trump with financing from the Holiday Corporation, who also managed its operation.[130] It was renamed "Trump Plaza" soon after it opened.[131] The casino's poor financial results exacerbated disagreements between Trump and Holiday Corporation, which led to Trump paying $70 million in May 1986 to buy out their interest in the property.[132][133] Trump also acquired a partially completed building in Atlantic City from the Hilton Corporation for $320 million; when completed in 1985, that hotel and casino became Trump Castle, and Trump's wife Ivana managed the property until 1988.[134][135] The entrance of the Trump Taj Mahal, a casino in Atlantic City. It has motifs evocative of the Taj Mahal in India. Entrance of the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City Trump acquired his third casino in Atlantic City, the Taj Mahal, in 1988 while it was under construction, through a complex transaction with Merv Griffin and Resorts International.[136] It was completed at a cost of $1.1 billion and opened in April 1990.[137] The project was financed with $675 million in junk bonds[138] and was a major gamble by Trump.[139] The project underwent debt restructuring the following year,[140] leaving Trump with fifty percent ownership.[141] Facing "enormous debt", he gave up control of his money-losing airline, Trump Shuttle, and sold his 282-foot (86 m) mega yacht, the Trump Princess, which had been indefinitely docked in Atlantic City while leased to his casinos for use by wealthy gamblers.[142][143][144] In 1995, Trump founded Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR), which assumed ownership of Trump Plaza, Trump Castle, and the Trump Casino in Gary, Indiana.[145] THCR purchased Taj Mahal in 1996 and underwent bankruptcy restructuring in 2004 and 2009, leaving Trump with ten percent ownership in the Trump Taj Mahal and other Trump casino properties.[146] Trump remained chairman of THCR until 2009.[147] Golf courses Main article: Donald Trump and golf A golf course. In the background is the Turnberry Hotel, a two-story hotel with white façade and a red roof. Turnberry Hotel and golf course in Ayrshire, Scotland As of December 2016, the Trump Organization owns or operates 18 golf course and golf resorts in the United States and abroad.[148] According to Trump's FEC personal financial disclosure, his 2015 golf and resort revenue amounted to $382 million,[149][90] while his three European golf courses did not show a profit.[150] Trump began acquiring and constructing golf courses in 1999; his first property was the Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach in Florida.[151] By 2007, he owned four courses around the U.S.[151] Following the financial crisis of 2007-2008, he began purchasing existing golf courses and re-designing them.[152] His use of these courses during his presidency was controversial. Despite frequently criticizing his predecessor Barack Obama for his numerous golf outings, Trump golfed eleven times during his first eight weeks in office.[153] Trump visited one of his golf resorts on 187 of his first 848 days in office, 22 percent of the time.[154] Branding and licensing See also: List of things named after Donald Trump Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago The Trump Organization expanded its business into branding and management by licensing the Trump name for a large number of building projects that are owned and operated by other people and companies. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, it expanded its footprint beyond New York with the branding and management of various developers' hotel towers around the world. These included projects in Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., Panama City, Toronto, and Vancouver. There are also Trump-branded buildings in Dubai, Honolulu, Istanbul, Manila, Mumbai, and Indonesia.[155] The Trump name has also been licensed for various consumer products and services, including the short-lived Cadillac Trump Series,[156][157] foodstuffs, apparel, adult learning courses, and home furnishings.[158][159] According to an analysis by The Washington Post, there are more than fifty licensing or management deals involving Trump's name, which have generated at least $59 million in yearly revenue for his companies.[160] By 2018 only two consumer goods companies continued to license his name.[159] Lawsuits and bankruptcies Main articles: Legal affairs of Donald Trump and List of lawsuits involving Donald Trump As of April 2018, Trump and his businesses had been involved in more than 4,000 state and federal legal actions, according to a running tally by USA Today.[161] As of 2016, he or one of his companies had been the plaintiff in 1,900 cases and the defendant in 1,450. With Trump or his company as plaintiff, more than half the cases have been against gamblers at his casinos who had failed to pay off their debts. With Trump or his company as a defendant, the most common type of case involved personal injury cases at his hotels. In cases where there was a clear resolution, Trump's side won 451 times and lost 38.[162][163] Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy, although in 1990 he came within one missed bank loan payment of doing so, agreeing to a deal that temporarily ceded management control of his company to his banks and put him on a spending allowance.[164] Trump claimed to have initiated this deal with his banks as he saw the downturn in the real estate market, but bankers involved in the matter stated they initiated the negotiations before Trump had realized there was a problem.[165] His hotel and casino businesses have been declared bankrupt six times between 1991 and 2009 in order to re-negotiate debt with banks and owners of stock and bonds.[166][167] Because the businesses used Chapter 11 bankruptcy, they were allowed to operate while negotiations proceeded. Trump was quoted by Newsweek in 2011 saying, "I do play with the bankruptcy laws - they're very good for me" as a tool for trimming debt.[168][169] The six bankruptcies were the result of over-leveraged hotel and casino businesses in Atlantic City and New York: Trump Taj Mahal (1991), Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino (1992), Plaza Hotel (1992), Trump Castle Hotel and Casino (1992), Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts (2004), and Trump Entertainment Resorts (2009).[170][171] During the 1980s, more than seventy banks had lent Trump $4 billion,[165] but in the aftermath of his corporate bankruptcies of the early 1990s, most major banks declined to lend to him, with a notable exception of Deutsche Bank.[172] In April 2019 the House Oversight Committee (HOC) issued subpoenas seeking financial details from Trump's banks, Deutsche Bank and Capital One, and his accounting firm, Mazars USA. In response, Trump sued the banks, Mazars, and HOC chairman Elijah Cummings to prevent the disclosures.[173][174] In May, DC District Court judge Amit Mehta ruled that Mazars must comply with the subpoena,[175] and judge Edgardo Ramos of the Southern District Court of New York ruled that the banks must also comply.[176][177] Trump's attorneys appealed the rulings,[178] arguing that Congress was attempting to usurp the "exercise of law-enforcement authority that the Constitution reserves to the executive branch".[179][180] Side ventures After taking over control of the Trump Organization in 1971, Trump expanded its real estate operations and ventured into other business activities. The company eventually became the umbrella organization for several hundred individual business ventures and partnerships.[181][182] In September 1983, Trump purchased the New Jersey Generals—an American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL). After the 1985 season, the league folded largely due to Trump's strategy of moving games to a fall schedule where they competed with the NFL for audience, and trying to force a merger with the NFL by bringing an antitrust lawsuit against the organization.[183][184] Trump's businesses have hosted several boxing matches at the Atlantic City Convention Hall adjacent to and promoted as taking place at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, including Mike Tyson's 1988 heavyweight championship fight against Michael Spinks.[185][186] In 1989 and 1990, Trump lent his name to the Tour de Trump cycling stage race, which was an attempt to create an American equivalent of European races such as the Tour de France or the Giro d'Italia.[187] In 1988, Trump founded Trump Shuttle, purchasing 21 planes and landing rights at three airports in New York City, Boston, and the Washington, D.C., area, from the defunct Eastern Air Lines, costing $380 million financed from 22 banks. The airline offered charter services in addition to scheduled shuttle flights, and was eventually sold to USAir Group in 1992 after failing to operate at a profit.[188] Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, installed in 2007 From 1996 to 2015, Trump owned part or all of the Miss Universe pageants, including Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.[189][190] Due to disagreements with CBS about scheduling, he took both pageants to NBC in 2002.[191][192] In 2007, Trump received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work as producer of Miss Universe.[193] In September 2015, Trump bought NBC's share of the Miss Universe Organization, and sold the entire company to the William Morris talent agency.[194] Trump University Main article: Trump University Trump University was a for-profit education company that was founded by Trump and his associates, Michael Sexton and Jonathan Spitalny. The company ran a real estate training program and charged between $1,500 and $35,000 per course.[195][196][197] In 2005, New York State authorities notified the operation that its use of the word "university" was misleading and violated state law. After a second such notification in 2010, the name of the company was changed to the "Trump Entrepreneurial Institute".[198] Trump was also found personally liable for failing to obtain a business license for the operation.[199] Ronald Schnackenberg, a sales manager for Trump University, testified that he had been reprimanded for not trying harder to sell a $35,000 real estate class to a couple who could not afford it.[200] Schnackenberg said he believed "Trump University was a fraudulent scheme" which "preyed upon the elderly and uneducated to separate them from their money."[200] In 2013, the State of New York filed a $40 million civil suit against Trump University; the suit alleged that the company made false statements and defrauded consumers.[198][201] In addition, two class-action civil lawsuits were filed in federal court relating to Trump University; they named Trump personally as well as his companies.[202] During the presidential campaign, Trump criticized presiding judge Gonzalo P. Curiel, alleging bias in his rulings because of his Mexican heritage.[203][204] Shortly after Trump won the presidency, the parties agreed to a settlement of all three pending cases, whereby Trump paid a total of $25 million and denied any wrongdoing.[205][206] Foundation Main article: Donald J. Trump Foundation The Donald J. Trump Foundation is a U.S.-based private foundation[207] that was established in 1988 for the initial purpose of giving away proceeds from the book Trump: The Art of the Deal.[208][209] The foundation's funds have mostly come from donors other than Trump,[210] who has not given personally to the charity since 2008.[210] The foundation's tax returns show that it has given to health care and sports-related charities, as well as conservative groups.[211] In 2009, for example, the foundation gave $926,750 to about forty groups, with the biggest donations going to the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation ($100,000), the New York-Presbyterian Hospital ($125,000), the Police Athletic League ($156,000), and the Clinton Foundation ($100,000).[212][213] From 2004 to 2014, the top donors to the foundation were Vince and Linda McMahon of WWE, who donated $5 million to the foundation after Trump appeared at WrestleMania in 2007.[210] In 2016, The Washington Post reported that the charity had committed several potential legal and ethical violations, including alleged self-dealing and possible tax evasion.[214] Also in 2016, the New York State Attorney General's office notified the Trump Foundation that the foundation appeared to be in violation of New York laws regarding charities, ordering it to immediately cease its fundraising activities in New York.[215][216][217] A Trump spokesman called the Attorney General's investigation a "partisan hit job".[215] In response to mounting complaints, Trump's team announced in late December 2016 that the Trump Foundation would be dissolved to remove "even the appearance of any conflict with [his] role as President."[218] According to an IRS filing in November 2017, the foundation intended to shut down and distribute its assets (about $970,000) to other charities. However, the New York Attorney General's office had to complete their ongoing investigation before the foundation could legally shut down,[219] and in June 2018 they filed a civil suit against the foundation for $2.8 million in restitution and additional penalties.[220] The suit names Trump himself as well as his adult children Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka.[221] In December 2018, the foundation agreed to cease operation and disburse all its assets. Attorney General Barbara Underwood, who oversaw the investigation and lawsuit, said the investigation uncovered a "shocking pattern of illegality".[222][223] Conflicts of interest Before being inaugurated as president, Trump moved his businesses into a revocable trust run by his eldest sons and a business associate.[224][225] According to ethics experts, as long as Trump continues to profit from his businesses, the measures taken by Trump do not help to avoid conflicts of interest.[226] Because Trump would have knowledge of how his administration's policies would affect his businesses, ethics experts recommend that Trump sell off his businesses.[225] While Trump has said his organization would eschew "new foreign deals", the Trump Organization has since pursued expansions of its operations in Dubai, Scotland, and the Dominican Republic.[226] Multiple lawsuits have been filed alleging that Trump is violating the emoluments clause of the United States Constitution, which forbids presidents from taking money from foreign governments, due to his business interests; they argue that these interests allow foreign governments to influence him.[226][227] Previous presidents in the modern era have either divested their holdings or put them in blind trusts,[224] and he is the first president to be sued over the emoluments clause.[227] A lawsuit, D.C. and Maryland v. Trump, brought by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia in June 2017, cleared three judicial hurdles to proceed to the discovery phase during 2018.[228][229][230] Prosecutors issued 38 subpoenas to Trump's businesses and cabinet departments in December 2018 before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay days later at the behest of the Justice Department, pending hearings in March 2019.[231][232][233] In a March 18, 2019 hearing, a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals was sharply skeptical of the legal basis of the suit, while the plaintiffs appeared confident they would prevail. On July 10, 2019 the court dismissed the case, finding the plaintiffs did not have standing.[234][235] On April 30, 2019 judge Emmet Sullivan, who had been presiding over another related suit filed by congressional Democrats in the DC District Court, declined a request from Trump's attorneys to dismiss the case.[236] On June 25, Sullivan denied a request by Trump's attorneys to stay the suit pending an appeal, allowing Democrats to seek some of Trump's financial records.[237] On July 19, Sullivan stayed the Democrats' subpoenas for Trump's records, the same day the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit said it should hear the case before the records are provided.[238] Media career Books Main article: Bibliography of Donald Trump Trump has published numerous books. His first published book in 1987 was Trump: The Art of the Deal, in which Trump is credited as co-author with Tony Schwartz, who has said he did all the writing.[239] It reached the top of the New York Times Best Seller list, stayed there for 13 weeks, and altogether held a position on the list for 48 weeks.[239] According to The New Yorker, "The book expanded Trump's renown far beyond New York City, promoting an image of himself as a successful dealmaker and tycoon."[239] Trump's published writings shifted post-2000 from stylized memoirs to financial tips and political opinion.[240] Film and television Relationship with WWE Trump has had a sporadic relationship with professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment since the late 1980s; in 1988 and 1989, WrestleMania IV and V, which took place at the Atlantic City Convention Hall, was billed as taking place at the nearby Trump Plaza.[241][242][243] Trump has appeared in several WWE storylines, including a scripted feud with WWE owner Vince McMahon leading into WrestleMania 23 in 2007 and a storyline in 2009 in which Trump "bought" and later "sold" Monday Night Raw.[243] In 2013, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the weekend festivities surrounding WrestleMania 29.[244] McMahon and his wife Linda—who later served under President Trump as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration—have also made donations to Trump's endeavors, including a combined total of $5 million to the Donald Trump Foundation after Trump's WWE appearances in 2007 and 2009, and $6 million to Trump's presidential campaign in 2016.[243] In July 2017, Trump posted an altered video clip with the hashtag "FraudNewsCnn" to his personal Twitter account. The clip, which was retweeted by the official @POTUS Twitter account, showed Trump at WrestleMania 23 seeming to knock McMahon to the ground and punch him; in the edited version, a CNN logo is superimposed on McMahon's head.[245] Following months of Trump attacking the media and particularly CNN as "fake news" and "enemies of the people", the tweet was criticized as appearing to incite violence against journalists.[246] The Apprentice Main article: The Apprentice (American TV series) In 2003, Trump became the executive producer and host of the NBC reality show The Apprentice, in which contestants competed for a one-year management job with the Trump Organization; applicants were successively eliminated from the game with the catchphrase "You're fired".[247][248] He went on to be co-host of The Celebrity Apprentice, in which celebrities compete to win money for their charities.[247][248][249] In February 2015, Trump said he was "not ready" to sign on for another season of the show because of the possibility of a presidential run.[250] Despite this, NBC announced they were going ahead with production of a 15th season.[251] In June, after widespread negative reaction stemming from Trump's campaign announcement speech, NBC released a statement saying, "Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump."[252] Acting Main article: Donald Trump filmography Trump has made cameo appearances in twelve films and 14 television series,[253] including as the father of one of the characters in The Little Rascals.[254][255] He performed a song with Megan Mullally at the 57th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2005.[256][257] Trump receives a pension as a member of the Screen Actors Guild.[258] His financial disclosure forms mentioned an annual pension of $110,000 in 2016 and $85,000 in 2017.[258][259][260] Radio and television commentary See also: Trumped! Starting in the 1990s, Trump was a guest about 24 times on the nationally syndicated Howard Stern Show, but he has made no appearances since he became president.[261] Trump also had his own short-form talk radio program called Trumped! (one to two minutes on weekdays) from 2004 to 2008.[262][263][264] In 2011, Trump was given a weekly unpaid guest commentator spot on Fox & Friends that continued until he started his presidential candidacy in 2015.[265][266][267][268] Political career Political activities up to 2015 Trump's political party affiliation has changed numerous times over the years. He registered as a Republican in Manhattan in 1987,[269] switched to the Reform Party in 1999, the Democratic Party in 2001, and back to the Republican Party in 2009.[269] He made donations to both the Democratic and the Republican parties, party committees, and candidates until 2010 when he stopped donating to Democrats and increased his donations to Republicans considerably.[270] In 1987 Trump spent $94,801 (equivalent to $209,068 in 2018) to place full-page advertisements in three major newspapers, proclaiming that "America should stop paying to defend countries that can afford to defend themselves."[271] The advertisements also advocated for "reducing the budget deficit, working for peace in Central America, and speeding up nuclear disarmament negotiations with the Soviet Union."[272] After rumors of a presidential run, Trump was invited by then U.S. senator John Kerry (Democrat from Massachusetts), House speaker Jim Wright of Texas, and Arkansas congressman Beryl Anthony Jr. to host a fundraising dinner for Democratic congressional candidates and to switch parties. Anthony told The New York Times that "the message Trump has been preaching is a Democratic message." Asked whether the rumors were true, Trump denied being a candidate, but said, "I believe that if I did run for President, I'd win."[272] According to a Gallup poll in December 1988, Trump was the tenth most admired man in America.[273][274] 2000 presidential campaign Main article: Donald Trump 2000 presidential campaign In 1999, Trump filed an exploratory committee to seek the nomination of the Reform Party for the 2000 presidential election.[275][276] A July 1999 poll matching him against likely Republican nominee George W. Bush and likely Democratic nominee Al Gore showed Trump with seven percent support.[277] Trump eventually dropped out of the race, but still went on to win the Reform Party primaries in California and Michigan.[276][278] After his run, Trump left the party due to the involvement of David Duke, Pat Buchanan, and Lenora Fulani.[275] Trump also considered running for president in 2004.[279] In 2005, Trump said he had voted for George W. Bush.[280] In 2008, he endorsed Republican John McCain for president.[281] 2012 presidential speculation Trump speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, February 2011 Trump publicly speculated about running for president in the 2012 election, and made his first speaking appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February 2011. The speech is credited for helping kick-start his political career within the Republican Party.[282] On May 16, 2011, Trump announced he would not run for president in the 2012 election.[283] In February 2012, Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president.[284] Trump's presidential ambitions were generally not taken seriously at the time.[285] Trump's moves were interpreted by some media as possible promotional tools for his reality show The Apprentice.[283][286][287] Before the 2016 election, The New York Times speculated that Trump "accelerated his ferocious efforts to gain stature within the political world" after Obama lampooned him at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in April 2011.[288] In 2011, according to Evan Jones, the headmaster of the New York Military Academy at the time, the then-superintendent Jeffrey Coverdale had demanded Trump's academic records, to hand them over to "prominent, wealthy alumni of the school who were Mr. Trump's friends" at their request. Coverdale said he had refused to hand over Trump's records to trustees of the school, and instead sealed Trump's records on campus. Jones stated: "It was the only time in my education career that I ever heard of someone's record being removed," while Coverdale further said: "It's the only time I ever moved an alumnus's records." The incident reportedly happened days after Trump demanded President Barack Obama's academic records.[289] 2013-2015 In 2013, Trump was a featured CPAC speaker.[290] In a sparsely-attended speech, he railed against illegal immigration while seeming to encourage immigration from Europe, bemoaned Obama's "unprecedented media protection", advised against harming Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and suggested that the government "take" Iraq's oil and use the proceeds to pay a million dollars each to families of dead soldiers.[291][292] He spent over $1 million that year to research a possible 2016 candidacy.[293] In October 2013, New York Republicans circulated a memo suggesting Trump should run for governor of the state in 2014 against Andrew Cuomo. Trump responded that while New York had problems and its taxes were too high, he was not interested in the governorship.[294] A February 2014 Quinnipiac poll had shown Trump losing to the more popular Cuomo by 37 points in a hypothetical election.[295] In February 2015, Trump told NBC he was not prepared to sign on for another season of The Apprentice, as he mulled his political future.[296] Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen revealed during a congressional hearing that Trump had instructed him to threaten schools he attended not to release Trump's academic records, including Fordham University and the New York Military Academy. Cohen provided copies of a May 2015 letter threatening Fordham University with civil and criminal actions if any were released without Trump's permission which Fordham University confirmed receiving. A former dean of academics at the New York Military Academy, Mika Saarela, also acknowledged receiving a similar letter.[297][298] 2016 presidential campaign Main article: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign Republican primaries See also: 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries Trump speaking behind a brown wooden podium, wearing a dark blue suit and a red tie. The podium sports a blue "TRUMP" sign. Trump campaigning in Laconia, New Hampshire, July 2015 On June 16, 2015, Trump announced his candidacy for President of the United States at Trump Tower in Manhattan. In the speech, Trump discussed illegal immigration, offshoring of American jobs, the U.S. national debt, and Islamic terrorism, which all remained large priorities during the campaign. He also announced his campaign slogan: "Make America Great Again".[299][300] Trump said his wealth would make him immune to pressure from campaign donors.[301] He declared that he was funding his own campaign,[302] but according to The Atlantic, "Trump's claims of self-funding have always been dubious at best and actively misleading at worst."[303] In the primaries, Trump was one of seventeen candidates vying for the 2016 Republican nomination; this was the largest presidential field in American history.[304] Trump's campaign was initially not taken seriously by political analysts, but he quickly rose to the top of opinion polls.[305] On Super Tuesday, Trump won the plurality of the vote, and he remained the front-runner throughout the remainder of the primaries. By March 2016, Trump was poised to win the Republican nomination.[306] After a landslide win in Indiana on May 3, 2016—which prompted the remaining candidates Cruz and John Kasich to suspend their presidential campaigns—RNC chairman Reince Priebus declared Trump the presumptive Republican nominee.[307] General election campaign After becoming the presumptive Republican nominee, Trump shifted his focus to the general election. Trump began campaigning against Hillary Clinton, who became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 6, 2016. Clinton had established a significant lead over Trump in national polls throughout most of 2016. In early July, Clinton's lead narrowed in national polling averages following the FBI's re-opening of its investigation into her ongoing email controversy.[308][309][310] Donald Trump and his running mate for vice president, Mike Pence. They appear to be standing in front of a huge screen with the colors of the American flag displayed on it. Trump is at left, facing toward the viewer and making "thumbs-up" gestures with both hands. Pence is at right, facing toward Trump and clapping. Candidate Trump and running mate Mike Pence at the Republican National Convention, July 2016 On July 15, 2016, Trump announced his selection of Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate.[311] Four days later, the two were officially nominated by the Republican Party at the Republican National Convention.[312] The list of convention speakers and attendees included former presidential nominee Bob Dole, but the other prior nominees did not attend.[313][314] Two days later, Trump officially accepted the nomination in a 76-minute speech. The historically long speech received mixed reviews, with net negative viewer reactions according to CNN and Gallup polls.[315][316][317] On September 26, 2016, Trump and Clinton faced off in their first presidential debate, which was held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and moderated by NBC News anchor Lester Holt.[318] The TV broadcast was the most watched presidential debate in United States history.[319] The second presidential debate was held at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri. The beginning of that debate was dominated by references to a recently leaked tape of Trump making sexually explicit comments, which Trump countered by referring to alleged sexual misconduct on the part of Bill Clinton. Prior to the debate, Trump had invited four women who had accused Clinton of impropriety to a press conference. The final presidential debate was held on October 19 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Trump's refusal to say whether he would accept the result of the election, regardless of the outcome, drew particular attention, with some saying it undermined democracy.[320][321] Political positions Main article: Political positions of Donald Trump Trump's campaign platform emphasized renegotiating U.S.-China relations and free trade agreements such as NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, strongly enforcing immigration laws, and building a new wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. His other campaign positions included pursuing energy independence while opposing climate change regulations such as the Clean Power Plan and the Paris Agreement, modernizing and expediting services for veterans, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, abolishing Common Core education standards, investing in infrastructure, simplifying the tax code while reducing taxes for all economic classes, and imposing tariffs on imports by companies that offshore jobs. During the campaign, he also advocated a largely non-interventionist approach to foreign policy while increasing military spending, extreme vetting or banning immigrants from Muslim-majority countries[322] to pre-empt domestic Islamic terrorism, and aggressive military action against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. During the campaign Trump repeatedly called NATO "obsolete".[323] His political positions have been described as populist,[324][325][326] and some of his views cross party lines. For example, his economic campaign plan calls for large reductions in income taxes and deregulation,[327] consistent with Republican Party policies, along with significant infrastructure investment,[328] usually considered a Democratic Party policy.[329][330] According to political writer Jack Shafer, Trump may be a "fairly conventional American populist when it comes to his policy views", but he attracts free media attention, sometimes by making outrageous comments.[331][332] Trump has supported or leaned toward varying political positions over time.[333][334][335] Politico has described his positions as "eclectic, improvisational and often contradictory",[335] while NBC News counted "141 distinct shifts on 23 major issues" during his campaign.[336] Campaign rhetoric In his campaign, Trump said he disdained political correctness; he also stated that the media had intentionally misinterpreted his words, and he made other claims of adverse media bias.[337][338][339] In part due to his fame, and due to his willingness to say things other candidates would not, and because a candidate who is gaining ground automatically provides a compelling news story, Trump received an unprecedented amount of free media coverage during his run for the presidency, which elevated his standing in the Republican primaries.[340] Fact-checking organizations have denounced Trump for making a record number of false statements compared to other candidates.[341][342][343] At least four major publications—Politico, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times—have pointed out lies or falsehoods in his campaign statements, with the Los Angeles Times saying that "Never in modern presidential politics has a major candidate made false statements as routinely as Trump has".[344] NPR said Trump's campaign statements were often opaque or suggestive.[345] Trump's penchant for hyperbole is believed to have roots in the New York real estate scene, where Trump established his wealth and where puffery abounds.[346] Trump adopted his ghostwriter's phrase "truthful hyperbole" to describe his public speaking style.[346][347] Support from the far right According to Michael Barkun, the Trump campaign was remarkable for bringing fringe ideas, beliefs, and organizations into the mainstream.[348] During his presidential campaign, Trump was accused of pandering to white supremacists.[349][350][351] He retweeted open racists,[352][353] and repeatedly refused to condemn David Duke, the Ku Klux Klan or white supremacists, in an interview on CNN's State of the Union, saying he would first need to "do research" because he knew nothing about Duke or white supremacists.[354][355] Duke himself enthusiastically supported Trump throughout the 2016 primary and election, and has stated that he and like-minded people voted for Trump because of his promises to "take our country back".[356][357] After repeated questioning by reporters, Trump said he disavowed David Duke and the KKK.[358] Trump said on MSNBC's Morning Joe: "I disavowed him. I disavowed the KKK. Do you want me to do it again for the 12th time? I disavowed him in the past, I disavow him now."[358] The alt-right movement coalesced around Trump's candidacy,[359] due in part to its opposition to multiculturalism and immigration.[360][361][362] Members of the alt-right enthusiastically supported Trump's campaign.[363] In August 2016, he appointed Steve Bannon—the executive chairman of Breitbart News—as his campaign CEO; Bannon described Breitbart News as "the platform for the alt-right".[364] In an interview days after the election, Trump condemned supporters who celebrated his victory with Nazi salutes.[365][366] Financial disclosures As a presidential candidate, Trump disclosed details of his companies, assets, and revenue sources to the extent required by the FEC. His 2015 report listed assets above $1.4 billion and outstanding debts of at least $265 million.[89][367] The 2016 form showed little change.[90] Trump has not release his tax returns, contrary to usual practice by every candidate since 1976 and his promise in 2014 to do so if he ran for office.[368] He said his tax returns were being audited, and his lawyers had advised him against releasing them.[369] Trump has told the press his tax rate was none of their business, and that he tries to pay "as little tax as possible".[370] In October 2016, portions of Trump's state filings for 1995 were leaked to a reporter from The New York Times. They show that Trump declared a loss of $916 million that year, which could have let him avoid taxes for up to 18 years. During the second presidential debate, Trump acknowledged using the deduction, but declined to provide details such as the specific years it was applied.[371] On March 14, 2017, the first two pages of Trump's 2005 federal income tax returns were leaked to MSNBC. The document states that Trump had a gross adjusted income of $150 million and paid $38 million in federal taxes. The White House confirmed the authenticity of the documents.[372][373] On April 3, 2019, the House Ways and Means Committee made a formal request to the Internal Revenue Service for Trump's personal and business tax returns from 2013 to 2018, setting a deadline of April 10.[374] That day, Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin stated the deadline would not be met,[375] and the deadline was extended to April 23, which also was not honored,[376] and on May 6 Mnuchin said the request would be denied.[377] On May 10, 2019, committee chairman Richard Neal subpoenaed the Treasury Department and the IRS for the returns and seven days later the subpoenas were defied.[378][379] A fall 2018 draft IRS legal memo asserted that Trump must provide his tax returns to Congress unless he invokes executive privilege, contradicting the administration's justification for defying the earlier subpoena.[380] Mnuchin asserted the memo actually addressed a different matter.[381] Election to the presidency Main article: 2016 United States presidential election 2016 electoral vote results On November 8, 2016, Trump received 306 pledged electoral votes versus 232 for Clinton. The official counts were 304 and 227 respectively, after defections on both sides.[382] Trump received a smaller share of the popular vote than Clinton, which made him the fifth person to be elected president while losing the popular vote.[383][e] Clinton was ahead nationwide by 2.1 percentage points, with 65,853,514 votes (48.18%) to 62,984,828 votes (46.09%); neither candidate reached a majority.[386] Trump's victory was considered a stunning political upset by most observers, as polls had consistently showed Hillary Clinton with a nationwide—though diminishing—lead, as well as a favorable advantage in most of the competitive states. Trump's support had been modestly underestimated throughout his campaign,[387] and many observers blamed errors in polls, partially attributed to pollsters overestimating Clinton's support among well-educated and nonwhite voters, while underestimating Trump's support among white working-class voters.[388] The polls were relatively accurate,[389] but media outlets and pundits alike showed overconfidence in a Clinton victory despite a large number of undecided voters and a favorable concentration of Trump's core constituencies in competitive states.[390] Trump won 30 states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, which had been considered a blue wall of Democratic strongholds since the 1990s. Clinton won 20 states and the District of Columbia. Trump's victory marked the return of a Republican White House combined with control of both chambers of Congress. Trump is the wealthiest president in U.S. history, even after adjusting for inflation,[391] and the oldest person to take office as president.[392] He is also the first president who did not serve in the military or hold elective or appointed government office prior to being elected.[393][394][395] Of the 43[f] previous presidents, 38 had held prior elective office, two had not held elective office but had served in the Cabinet, and three had never held public office but had been commanding generals.[395] Protests Main article: Protests against Donald Trump Women's March in Washington on January 21, 2017, a day after the inauguration Some rallies during the primary season were accompanied by protests or violence, including attacks on Trump supporters and vice versa both inside and outside the venues.[397][398][399] Trump's election victory sparked protests across the United States, in opposition to his policies and his inflammatory statements. Trump initially said on Twitter that these were "professional protesters, incited by the media", and were "unfair", but he later tweeted, "Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country."[400][401] In the weeks following Trump's inauguration, massive anti-Trump demonstrations took place, such as the Women Marches, which gathered 2,600,000 people worldwide,[402] including 500,000 in Washington alone.[403] Moreover, marches against his travel ban began across the country on January 29, 2017, just nine days after his inauguration.[404] 2020 presidential campaign Main article: Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign Trump signaled his intention to run for a second term by filing with the FEC within hours of assuming the presidency.[405] This transformed his 2016 election committee into a 2020 reelection one.[406] Trump marked the official start of the campaign with a rally in Melbourne, Florida, on February 18, 2017, less than a month after taking office.[407] By January 2018, Trump's reelection committee had $22 million in hand,[408] and it had raised a total amount exceeding $67 million as of December 2018.[409] $23 million were spent in the fourth quarter of 2018, as Trump supported various Republican candidates for the 2018 midterm elections.[410] Presidency Main article: Presidency of Donald Trump For a chronological guide to this subject, see Timeline of the Donald Trump presidency. Early actions See also: Presidential transition of Donald Trump and First 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017. During his first week in office, he signed six executive orders: interim procedures in anticipation of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy, unlocking the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline construction projects, reinforcing border security, and beginning the planning and design process to construct a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.[411] Upon inauguration, Trump delegated the management of his real estate business to his sons Eric and Don Jr.[412] His daughter Ivanka resigned from the Trump Organization and moved to Washington, D.C., with her husband Jared Kushner. She serves as an assistant to the President,[413] and he is a Senior Advisor in the White House.[4

This is a good article. Follow the link for more information. Extended-protected article Adolf Hitler From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Adolf hitler) Jump to navigationJump to search "Hitler" redirects here. For other uses, see Hitler (disambiguation). Adolf Hitler Hitler portrait crop.jpg Hitler in 1938 Führer of Germany In office 2 August 1934 - 30 April 1945 Preceded by Paul von Hindenburg (President) Succeeded by Karl Dönitz (President) Chancellor of Germany In office 30 January 1933 - 30 April 1945 President Paul von Hindenburg (1933-1934) Deputy Franz von Papen (1933-1934) Hermann Göring (1941-1945) Preceded by Kurt von Schleicher Succeeded by Joseph Goebbels Führer of the Nazi Party In office 29 July 1921[1] - 30 April 1945 Deputy Rudolf Hess (1933-1941) Preceded by Anton Drexler (Chairman) Succeeded by Martin Bormann (Party Minister) Personal details Born 20 April 1889 Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary Died 30 April 1945 (aged 56) Berlin, Nazi Germany Cause of death Suicide by gunshot Citizenship Austrian (1889-1925) None (1925-1932) German (1932-1945) Political party Nazi Party (1921-1945) Spouse(s) Eva Braun (m. 1945) Parents Alois Hitler, Klara Pölzl Relatives Hitler family Cabinet Hitler cabinet Signature Military service Allegiance German Empire Branch Imperial German Army Bavarian Army Service years 1914-1920 Rank Gefreiter Unit 16th Bavarian Reserve Regiment Wars World War I • First Battle of Ypres • Battle of the Somme • Battle of Arras • Battle of Passchendaele Awards Iron Cross First Class Iron Cross Second Class Wound Badge Adolf Hitler (German: [ˈadɔlf ˈhɪtlɐ] (About this soundlisten); 20 April 1889 - 30 April 1945) was a German politician and leader of the Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; NSDAP). He rose to power as Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and later Führer in 1934.[a] During his dictatorship from 1933 to 1945, he initiated World War II in Europe by invading Poland on 1 September 1939. He was closely involved in military operations throughout the war and was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust. Hitler was born in Austria—then part of Austria-Hungary—and was raised near Linz. He moved to Germany in 1913 and was decorated during his service in the German Army in World War I. In 1919, he joined the German Workers' Party (DAP), the precursor of the NSDAP, and was appointed leader of the NSDAP in 1921. In 1923, he attempted to seize power in a failed coup in Munich and was imprisoned. In jail, he dictated the first volume of his autobiography and political manifesto Mein Kampf ("My Struggle"). After his release in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-semitism and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. He frequently denounced international capitalism and communism as part of a Jewish conspiracy. By November 1932, the Nazi Party had the most seats in the German Reichstag, but did not have a majority, and no party was able to form a majority parliamentary coalition in support of a candidate for chancellor. Former chancellor Franz von Papen and other conservative leaders persuaded President Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor on 30 January 1933. Shortly after, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act of 1933, which began the process of transforming the Weimar Republic into Nazi Germany, a one-party dictatorship based on the totalitarian and autocratic ideology of National Socialism. Hitler aimed to eliminate Jews from Germany and establish a New Order to counter what he saw as the injustice of the post-World War I international order dominated by Britain and France. His first six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great Depression, the abrogation of restrictions imposed on Germany after World War I, and the annexation of territories inhabited by millions of ethnic Germans, which gave him significant popular support. Hitler sought Lebensraum ("living space") for the German people in Eastern Europe, and his aggressive foreign policy is considered the primary cause of World War II in Europe. He directed large-scale rearmament and, on 1 September 1939, invaded Poland, resulting in Britain and France declaring war on Germany. In June 1941, Hitler ordered an invasion of the Soviet Union. By the end of 1941, German forces and the European Axis powers occupied most of Europe and North Africa. These gains were gradually reversed after 1941, and in 1945 the Allied armies defeated the German army. In the final days of the war, during the Battle of Berlin in 1945, he married his longtime lover Eva Braun. Less than two days later, on 30 April 1945, the two committed suicide to avoid capture by the Soviet Red Army; their corpses were burned. Under Hitler's leadership and racially motivated ideology, the Nazi regime was responsible for the genocide of at least 5.5 million Jews and millions of other victims whom he and his followers deemed Untermenschen (subhumans) or socially undesirable. Hitler and the Nazi regime were also responsible for the killing of an estimated 19.3 million civilians and prisoners of war. In addition, 28.7 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of military action in the European theatre. The number of civilians killed during World War II was unprecedented in warfare, and the casualties constitute the deadliest conflict in history. Hitler's actions and ideology are almost universally regarded as evil. According to historian Ian Kershaw, "never in history has such ruination—physical and moral—been associated with the name of one man."[4] Contents 1 Ancestry 2 Early years 2.1 Childhood and education 2.2 Early adulthood in Vienna and Munich 2.3 World War I 3 Entry into politics 3.1 Beer Hall Putsch and Landsberg Prison 3.2 Rebuilding the Nazi Party 4 Rise to power 4.1 Brüning administration 4.2 Appointment as chancellor 4.3 Reichstag fire and March elections 4.4 Day of Potsdam and the Enabling Act 4.5 Dictatorship 5 Nazi Germany 5.1 Economy and culture 5.2 Rearmament and new alliances 6 World War II 6.1 Early diplomatic successes 6.1.1 Alliance with Japan 6.1.2 Austria and Czechoslovakia 6.2 Start of World War II 6.3 Path to defeat 6.4 Defeat and death 7 The Holocaust 8 Leadership style 9 Legacy 10 Views on religion 11 Health 12 Family 13 In propaganda 13.1 Films 13.1.1 List of propaganda and film appearances 14 See also 15 References 15.1 Informational notes 15.2 Citations 15.3 Sources 16 External links Ancestry Main article: Hitler family Hitler's father Alois Hitler Sr. (1837-1903) was the illegitimate child of Maria Anna Schicklgruber.[5] The baptismal register did not show the name of his father, and Alois initially bore his mother's surname Schicklgruber. In 1842, Johann Georg Hiedler married Alois's mother Maria Anna. Alois was brought up in the family of Hiedler's brother, Johann Nepomuk Hiedler.[6] In 1876, Alois was legitimated and the baptismal register changed by a priest to register Johann Georg Hiedler as Alois's father (recorded as "Georg Hitler").[7][8] Alois then assumed the surname "Hitler",[8] also spelled Hiedler, Hüttler, or Huettler. The name is probably based on "one who lives in a hut" (German Hütte for "hut").[9] Nazi official Hans Frank suggested that Alois' mother had been employed as a housekeeper by a Jewish family in Graz, and that the family's 19-year-old son Leopold Frankenberger had fathered Alois.[10] No Frankenberger was registered in Graz during that period, and no record has been produced of Leopold Frankenberger's existence,[11] so historians dismiss the claim that Alois' father was Jewish.[12][13] Early years Childhood and education Adolf Hitler as an infant (c. 1889-90) Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 in Braunau am Inn, a town in Austria-Hungary (in present-day Austria), close to the border with the German Empire.[14] He was christened as "Adolphus Hitler".[15] He was the fourth of six children born to Alois Hitler and his third wife, Klara Pölzl. Three of Hitler's siblings—Gustav, Ida, and Otto—died in infancy.[16] Also living in the household were Alois's children from his second marriage: Alois Jr. (born 1882) and Angela (born 1883).[17] When Hitler was three, the family moved to Passau, Germany.[18] There he acquired the distinctive lower Bavarian dialect, rather than Austrian German, which marked his speech throughout his life.[19][20][21] The family returned to Austria and settled in Leonding in 1894, and in June 1895 Alois retired to Hafeld, near Lambach, where he farmed and kept bees. Hitler attended Volksschule (a state-owned primary school) in nearby Fischlham.[22][23] The move to Hafeld coincided with the onset of intense father-son conflicts caused by Hitler's refusal to conform to the strict discipline of his school.[24] His father beat him, although his mother tried to protect him.[25] Alois Hitler's farming efforts at Hafeld ended in failure, and in 1897 the family moved to Lambach. The eight-year-old Hitler took singing lessons, sang in the church choir, and even considered becoming a priest.[26] In 1898 the family returned permanently to Leonding. Hitler was deeply affected by the death of his younger brother Edmund, who died in 1900 from measles. Hitler changed from a confident, outgoing, conscientious student to a morose, detached boy who constantly fought with his father and teachers.[27] Hitler's mother, Klara Hitler's father, Alois Alois had made a successful career in the customs bureau, and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps.[28] Hitler later dramatised an episode from this period when his father took him to visit a customs office, depicting it as an event that gave rise to an unforgiving antagonism between father and son, who were both strong-willed.[29][30][31] Ignoring his son's desire to attend a classical high school and become an artist, Alois sent Hitler to the Realschule in Linz in September 1900.[b][32] Hitler rebelled against this decision, and in Mein Kampf states that he intentionally did poorly in school, hoping that once his father saw "what little progress I was making at the technical school he would let me devote myself to my dream".[33] Like many Austrian Germans, Hitler began to develop German nationalist ideas from a young age.[34] He expressed loyalty only to Germany, despising the declining Habsburg Monarchy and its rule over an ethnically variegated empire.[35][36] Hitler and his friends used the greeting "Heil", and sang the "Deutschlandlied" instead of the Austrian Imperial anthem.[37] After Alois's sudden death on 3 January 1903, Hitler's performance at school deteriorated and his mother allowed him to leave.[38] He enrolled at the Realschule in Steyr in September 1904, where his behaviour and performance improved.[39] In 1905, after passing a repeat of the final exam, Hitler left the school without any ambitions for further education or clear plans for a career.[40] Early adulthood in Vienna and Munich See also: Paintings by Adolf Hitler The house in Leonding in Austria where Hitler spent his early adolescence (photo taken in July 2012) In 1907 Hitler left Linz to live and study fine art in Vienna, financed by orphan's benefits and support from his mother. He applied for admission to the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna but was rejected twice.[41][42] The director suggested Hitler should apply to the School of Architecture, but he lacked the necessary academic credentials because he had not finished secondary school.[43] On 21 December 1907, his mother died of breast cancer at the age of 47. In 1909 Hitler ran out of money and was forced to live a bohemian life in homeless shelters and a men's dormitory.[44][45] He earned money as a casual labourer and by painting and selling watercolours of Vienna's sights.[41] During his time in Vienna, he pursued a growing passion for architecture and music, attending ten performances of Lohengrin, his favourite Wagner opera.[46] The Alter Hof in Munich. Watercolour by Adolf Hitler, 1914 It was in Vienna that Hitler first became exposed to racist rhetoric.[47] Populists such as mayor Karl Lueger exploited the climate of virulent anti-Semitism and occasionally espoused German nationalist notions for political effect. German nationalism had a particularly widespread following in the Mariahilf district, where Hitler lived.[48] Georg Ritter von Schönerer became a major influence on Hitler.[49] He also developed an admiration for Martin Luther.[50] Hitler read local newspapers such as Deutsches Volksblatt that fanned prejudice and played on Christian fears of being swamped by an influx of Eastern European Jews.[51] He read newspapers and pamphlets that published the thoughts of philosophers and theoreticians such as Houston Stewart Chamberlain, Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Gustave Le Bon and Arthur Schopenhauer.[52] The origin and development of Hitler's anti-Semitism remains a matter of debate.[53] His friend, August Kubizek, claimed that Hitler was a "confirmed anti-Semite" before he left Linz.[54] However, historian Brigitte Hamann describes Kubizek's claim as "problematical".[55] While Hitler states in Mein Kampf that he first became an anti-Semite in Vienna,[56] Reinhold Hanisch, who helped him sell his paintings, disagrees. Hitler had dealings with Jews while living in Vienna.[57][58][59] Historian Richard J. Evans states that "historians now generally agree that his notorious, murderous anti-Semitism emerged well after Germany's defeat [in World War I], as a product of the paranoid "stab-in-the-back" explanation for the catastrophe".[60] Hitler received the final part of his father's estate in May 1913 and moved to Munich, Germany.[61] When he was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian Army,[62] he journeyed to Salzburg on 5 February 1914 for medical assessment. After he was deemed unfit for service, he returned to Munich.[63] Hitler later claimed that he did not wish to serve the Habsburg Empire because of the mixture of races in its army and his belief that the collapse of Austria-Hungary was imminent.[64] World War I Main article: Military career of Adolf Hitler Hitler (far right, seated) with his army comrades of the Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment 16 (c. 1914-18) In August 1914, at the outbreak of World War I, Hitler was living in Munich and voluntarily enlisted in the Bavarian Army.[65] According to a 1924 report by the Bavarian authorities, allowing Hitler to serve was almost certainly an administrative error, since as an Austrian citizen, he should have been returned to Austria.[65] Posted to the Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment 16 (1st Company of the List Regiment),[66][65] he served as a dispatch runner on the Western Front in France and Belgium,[67] spending nearly half his time at the regimental headquarters in Fournes-en-Weppes, well behind the front lines.[68][69] He was present at the First Battle of Ypres, the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Arras, and the Battle of Passchendaele, and was wounded at the Somme.[70] He was decorated for bravery, receiving the Iron Cross, Second Class, in 1914.[70] On a recommendation by Lieutenant Hugo Gutmann, Hitler's Jewish superior, he received the Iron Cross, First Class on 4 August 1918, a decoration rarely awarded to one of Hitler's Gefreiter rank.[71][72] He received the Black Wound Badge on 18 May 1918.[73] During his service at headquarters, Hitler pursued his artwork, drawing cartoons and instructions for an army newspaper. During the Battle of the Somme in October 1916, he was wounded in the left thigh when a shell exploded in the dispatch runners' dugout.[74] Hitler spent almost two months in hospital at Beelitz, returning to his regiment on 5 March 1917.[75] On 15 October 1918, he was temporarily blinded in a mustard gas attack and was hospitalised in Pasewalk.[76] While there, Hitler learned of Germany's defeat, and—by his own account—upon receiving this news, he suffered a second bout of blindness.[77] Hitler described the war as "the greatest of all experiences", and was praised by his commanding officers for his bravery.[78] His wartime experience reinforced his German patriotism and he was shocked by Germany's capitulation in November 1918.[79] His bitterness over the collapse of the war effort began to shape his ideology.[80] Like other German nationalists, he believed the Dolchstoßlegende (stab-in-the-back myth), which claimed that the German army, "undefeated in the field", had been "stabbed in the back" on the home front by civilian leaders, Jews, Marxists, and those who signed the armistice that ended the fighting—later dubbed the "November criminals".[81] The Treaty of Versailles stipulated that Germany must relinquish several of its territories and demilitarise the Rhineland. The treaty imposed economic sanctions and levied heavy reparations on the country. Many Germans saw the treaty as an unjust humiliation—they especially objected to Article 231, which they interpreted as declaring Germany responsible for the war.[82] The Versailles Treaty and the economic, social, and political conditions in Germany after the war were later exploited by Hitler for political gain.[83] Entry into politics Main article: Political views of Adolf Hitler Hitler's German Workers' Party (DAP) membership card After World War I, Hitler returned to Munich.[84] Without formal education or career prospects, he remained in the army.[85] In July 1919 he was appointed Verbindungsmann (intelligence agent) of an Aufklärungskommando (reconnaissance unit) of the Reichswehr, assigned to influence other soldiers and to infiltrate the German Workers' Party (DAP). At a DAP meeting on 12 September 1919, Party Chairman Anton Drexler was impressed with Hitler's oratorical skills. He gave him a copy of his pamphlet My Political Awakening, which contained anti-Semitic, nationalist, anti-capitalist, and anti-Marxist ideas.[86] On the orders of his army superiors, Hitler applied to join the party,[87] and within a week was accepted as party member 555 (the party began counting membership at 500 to give the impression they were a much larger party).[88][89] Around this time, Hitler made his earliest known recorded statement about the Jews in a letter (now known as the Gemlich letter) dated 16 September 1919 to Adolf Gemlich about the Jewish question. In the letter, Hitler argues that the aim of the government "must unshakably be the removal of the Jews altogether".[90] At the DAP, Hitler met Dietrich Eckart, one of the party's founders and a member of the occult Thule Society.[91] Eckart became Hitler's mentor, exchanging ideas with him and introducing him to a wide range of Munich society.[92] To increase its appeal, the DAP changed its name to the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers Party; NSDAP).[93] Hitler designed the party's banner of a swastika in a white circle on a red background.[94] Hitler was discharged from the army on 31 March 1920 and began working full-time for the NSDAP.[95] The party headquarters was in Munich, a hotbed of anti-government German nationalists determined to crush Marxism and undermine the Weimar Republic.[96] In February 1921—already highly effective at crowd manipulation—he spoke to a crowd of over 6,000.[97] To publicise the meeting, two truckloads of party supporters drove around Munich waving swastika flags and distributing leaflets. Hitler soon gained notoriety for his rowdy polemic speeches against the Treaty of Versailles, rival politicians, and especially against Marxists and Jews.[98] Hitler poses for the camera, 1930 In June 1921, while Hitler and Eckart were on a fundraising trip to Berlin, a mutiny broke out within the NSDAP in Munich. Members of its executive committee wanted to merge with the rival German Socialist Party (DSP).[99] Hitler returned to Munich on 11 July and angrily tendered his resignation. The committee members realised that the resignation of their leading public figure and speaker would mean the end of the party.[100] Hitler announced he would rejoin on the condition that he would replace Drexler as party chairman, and that the party headquarters would remain in Munich.[101] The committee agreed, and he rejoined the party on 26 July as member 3,680. Hitler continued to face some opposition within the NSDAP: Opponents of Hitler in the leadership had Hermann Esser expelled from the party, and they printed 3,000 copies of a pamphlet attacking Hitler as a traitor to the party.[101][c] In the following days, Hitler spoke to several packed houses and defended himself and Esser, to thunderous applause. His strategy proved successful, and at a special party congress on 29 July, he was granted absolute powers as party chairman, replacing Drexler, by a vote of 533 to 1.[102] Hitler's vitriolic beer hall speeches began attracting regular audiences. A demagogue,[103] he became adept at using populist themes, including the use of scapegoats, who were blamed for his listeners' economic hardships.[104][105][106] Hitler used personal magnetism and an understanding of crowd psychology to his advantage while engaged in public speaking.[107][108] Historians have noted the hypnotic effect of his rhetoric on large audiences, and of his eyes in small groups.[109] Algis Budrys recalled the crowd noise and behaviour when Hitler appeared in a 1936 parade; some in the audience writhed and rolled on the ground or experienced fecal incontinence.[110] Alfons Heck, a former member of the Hitler Youth, recalled a similar experience: We erupted into a frenzy of nationalistic pride that bordered on hysteria. For minutes on end, we shouted at the top of our lungs, with tears streaming down our faces: Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil! From that moment on, I belonged to Adolf Hitler body and soul.[111] Early followers included Rudolf Hess, former air force ace Hermann Göring, and army captain Ernst Röhm. Röhm became head of the Nazis' paramilitary organisation, the Sturmabteilung (SA, "Stormtroopers"), which protected meetings and attacked political opponents. A critical influence on Hitler's thinking during this period was the Aufbau Vereinigung,[112] a conspiratorial group of White Russian exiles and early National Socialists. The group, financed with funds channelled from wealthy industrialists, introduced Hitler to the idea of a Jewish conspiracy, linking international finance with Bolshevism.[113] The programme of the NSDAP, known colloquially as the "Nazi Party", was laid out in their 25-point programme on 24 February 1920. This did not represent a coherent ideology, but was a conglomeration of received ideas which had currency in the völkisch Pan-Germanic movement, such as ultranationalism, opposition to the Treaty of Versailles, distrust of capitalism, as well as some socialist ideas. For Hitler, though, the most important aspect of it was its strong anti-Semitic stance. He also perceived the programme as primarily a basis for propaganda and for attracting people to the party.[114] Hitler and the NSDAP were not, fundamentally, reactionaries—although they did look back to a mythic halcyon Germany of the past—but were, instead, revolutionary. They sought "the destruction of existing political and social structure and their supporting elites [and had] profound disdain for civil order, for human and moral values" and for the ideas of classical liberalism as well as those of Marxism.[115] Beer Hall Putsch and Landsberg Prison Main article: Beer Hall Putsch Defendants in the Beer Hall Putsch trial. From left to right: Pernet, Weber, Frick, Kiebel, Ludendorff, Hitler, Bruckner, Röhm, and Wagner. In 1923 Hitler enlisted the help of World War I General Erich Ludendorff for an attempted coup known as the "Beer Hall Putsch". The NSDAP used Italian Fascism as a model for their appearance and policies. Hitler wanted to emulate Benito Mussolini's "March on Rome" of 1922 by staging his own coup in Bavaria, to be followed by a challenge to the government in Berlin. Hitler and Ludendorff sought the support of Staatskommissar (state commissioner) Gustav Ritter von Kahr, Bavaria's de facto ruler. However, Kahr, along with Police Chief Hans Ritter von Seisser and Reichswehr General Otto von Lossow, wanted to install a nationalist dictatorship without Hitler.[116] On 8 November 1923 Hitler and the SA stormed a public meeting of 3,000 people organised by Kahr in the Bürgerbräukeller, a beer hall in Munich. Interrupting Kahr's speech, he announced that the national revolution had begun and declared the formation of a new government with Ludendorff.[117] Retiring to a back room, Hitler, with handgun drawn, demanded and got the support of Kahr, Seisser, and Lossow.[117] Hitler's forces initially succeeded in occupying the local Reichswehr and police headquarters, but Kahr and his cohorts quickly withdrew their support. Neither the army, nor the state police, joined forces with Hitler.[118] The next day, Hitler and his followers marched from the beer hall to the Bavarian War Ministry to overthrow the Bavarian government, but police dispersed them.[119] Sixteen NSDAP members and four police officers were killed in the failed coup.[120] Dust jacket of Mein Kampf (1926-28 edition) Hitler fled to the home of Ernst Hanfstaengl and by some accounts contemplated suicide.[121] He was depressed but calm when arrested on 11 November 1923 for high treason.[122] His trial before the special People's Court in Munich began in February 1924,[123] and Alfred Rosenberg became temporary leader of the NSDAP. On 1 April, Hitler was sentenced to five years' imprisonment at Landsberg Prison.[124] There, he received friendly treatment from the guards, and was allowed mail from supporters and regular visits by party comrades. Pardoned by the Bavarian Supreme Court, he was released from jail on 20 December 1924, against the state prosecutor's objections.[125] Including time on remand, Hitler served just over one year in prison.[126] While at Landsberg, Hitler dictated most of the first volume of Mein Kampf (My Struggle; originally entitled Four and a Half Years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity, and Cowardice) at first to his chauffeur, Emil Maurice, and then to his deputy, Rudolf Hess.[126][127] The book, dedicated to Thule Society member Dietrich Eckart, was an autobiography and exposition of his ideology. The book laid out Hitler's plans for transforming German society into one based on race. Throughout the book, Jews are equated with "germs" and presented as the "international poisoners" of society. According to Hitler's ideology, the only solution was their extermination. While Hitler did not describe exactly how this was to be accomplished, his "inherent genocidal thrust is undeniable," according to Ian Kershaw.[128] Published in two volumes in 1925 and 1926, Mein Kampf sold 228,000 copies between 1925 and 1932. One million copies were sold in 1933, Hitler's first year in office.[129] Shortly before Hitler was eligible for parole, the Bavarian government attempted to have him deported back to Austria.[130] The Austrian federal chancellor rejected the request on the specious grounds that his service in the German Army made his Austrian citizenship void.[131] In response, Hitler formally renounced his Austrian citizenship on 7 April 1925.[131] Rebuilding the Nazi Party At the time of Hitler's release from prison, politics in Germany had become less combative and the economy had improved, limiting Hitler's opportunities for political agitation. As a result of the failed Beer Hall Putsch, the Nazi Party and its affiliated organisations were banned in Bavaria. In a meeting with the Prime Minister of Bavaria Heinrich Held on 4 January 1925, Hitler agreed to respect the state's authority and promised that he would seek political power only through the democratic process. The meeting paved the way for the ban on the NSDAP to be lifted on 16 February.[132] However, after an inflammatory speech he gave on 27 February, Hitler was barred from public speaking by the Bavarian authorities, a ban that remained in place until 1927.[133][134] To advance his political ambitions in spite of the ban, Hitler appointed Gregor Strasser, Otto Strasser and Joseph Goebbels to organise and enlarge the NSDAP in northern Germany. Gregor Strasser steered a more independent political course, emphasising the socialist elements of the party's programme.[135] The stock market in the United States crashed on 24 October 1929. The impact in Germany was dire: millions were thrown out of work and several major banks collapsed. Hitler and the NSDAP prepared to take advantage of the emergency to gain support for their party. They promised to repudiate the Versailles Treaty, strengthen the economy, and provide jobs.[136] Rise to power Main article: Adolf Hitler's rise to power NSDAP election results[137] Election Total votes % votes Reichstag seats Notes May 1924 1,918,300 6.5 32 Hitler in prison December 1924 907,300 3.0 14 Hitler released from prison May 1928 810,100 2.6 12 September 1930 6,409,600 18.3 107 After the financial crisis July 1932 13,745,000 37.3 230 After Hitler was candidate for presidency November 1932 11,737,000 33.1 196 March 1933 17,277,180 43.9 288 Only partially free during Hitler's term as chancellor of Germany Brüning administration The Great Depression provided a political opportunity for Hitler. Germans were ambivalent about the parliamentary republic, which faced challenges from right- and left-wing extremists. The moderate political parties were increasingly unable to stem the tide of extremism, and the German referendum of 1929 helped to elevate Nazi ideology.[138] The elections of September 1930 resulted in the break-up of a grand coalition and its replacement with a minority cabinet. Its leader, chancellor Heinrich Brüning of the Centre Party, governed through emergency decrees from President Paul von Hindenburg. Governance by decree became the new norm and paved the way for authoritarian forms of government.[139] The NSDAP rose from obscurity to win 18.3 per cent of the vote and 107 parliamentary seats in the 1930 election, becoming the second-largest party in parliament.[140] Hitler and NSDAP treasurer Franz Xaver Schwarz at the dedication of the renovation of the Palais Barlow on Brienner Straße in Munich into the Brown House headquarters, December 1930 Hitler made a prominent appearance at the trial of two Reichswehr officers, Lieutenants Richard Scheringer and Hans Ludin, in late 1930. Both were charged with membership in the NSDAP, at that time illegal for Reichswehr personnel.[141] The prosecution argued that the NSDAP was an extremist party, prompting defence lawyer Hans Frank to call on Hitler to testify.[142] On 25 September 1930, Hitler testified that his party would pursue political power solely through democratic elections,[143] which won him many supporters in the officer corps.[144] Brüning's austerity measures brought little economic improvement and were extremely unpopular.[145] Hitler exploited this by targeting his political messages specifically at people who had been affected by the inflation of the 1920s and the Depression, such as farmers, war veterans, and the middle class.[146] Although Hitler had terminated his Austrian citizenship in 1925, he did not acquire German citizenship for almost seven years. This meant that he was stateless, legally unable to run for public office, and still faced the risk of deportation.[147] On 25 February 1932, the interior minister of Brunswick, Dietrich Klagges, who was a member of the NSDAP, appointed Hitler as administrator for the state's delegation to the Reichsrat in Berlin, making Hitler a citizen of Brunswick,[148] and thus of Germany.[149] Hitler ran against Hindenburg in the 1932 presidential elections. A speech to the Industry Club in Düsseldorf on 27 January 1932 won him support from many of Germany's most powerful industrialists.[150] Hindenburg had support from various nationalist, monarchist, Catholic, and republican parties, and some Social Democrats. Hitler used the campaign slogan "Hitler über Deutschland" ("Hitler over Germany"), a reference to his political ambitions and his campaigning by aircraft.[151] He was one of the first politicians to use aircraft travel for political purposes, and used it effectively.[152][153] Hitler came in second in both rounds of the election, garnering more than 35 per cent of the vote in the final election. Although he lost to Hindenburg, this election established Hitler as a strong force in German politics.[154] Appointment as chancellor Hitler, at the window of the Reich Chancellery, receives an ovation on the evening of his inauguration as chancellor, 30 January 1933 The absence of an effective government prompted two influential politicians, Franz von Papen and Alfred Hugenberg, along with several other industrialists and businessmen, to write a letter to Hindenburg. The signers urged Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as leader of a government "independent from parliamentary parties", which could turn into a movement that would "enrapture millions of people".[155][156] Hindenburg reluctantly agreed to appoint Hitler as chancellor after two further parliamentary elections—in July and November 1932—had not resulted in the formation of a majority government. Hitler headed a short-lived coalition government formed by the NSDAP (which had the most seats in the Reichstag) and Hugenberg's party, the German National People's Party (DNVP). On 30 January 1933, the new cabinet was sworn in during a brief ceremony in Hindenburg's office. The NSDAP gained three posts: Hitler was named chancellor, Wilhelm Frick Minister of the Interior, and Hermann Göring Minister of the Interior for Prussia.[157] Hitler had insisted on the ministerial positions as a way to gain control over the police in much of Germany.[158] Reichstag fire and March elections As chancellor, Hitler worked against attempts by the NSDAP's opponents to build a majority government. Because of the political stalemate, he asked Hindenburg to again dissolve the Reichstag, and elections were scheduled for early March. On 27 February 1933, the Reichstag building was set on fire. Göring blamed a communist plot, because Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe was found in incriminating circumstances inside the burning building.[159] According to Kershaw, the consensus of nearly all historians is that van der Lubbe actually set the fire.[160] Others, including William L. Shirer and Alan Bullock, are of the opinion that the NSDAP itself was responsible.[161][162] At Hitler's urging, Hindenburg responded with the Reichstag Fire Decree of 28 February, which suspended basic rights and allowed detention without trial. The decree was permitted under Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution, which gave the president the power to take emergency measures to protect public safety and order.[163] Activities of the German Communist Party (KPD) were suppressed, and some 4,000 KPD members were arrested.[164] In addition to political campaigning, the NSDAP engaged in paramilitary violence and the spread of anti-communist propaganda in the days preceding the election. On election day, 6 March 1933, the NSDAP's share of the vote increased to 43.9 per cent, and the party acquired the largest number of seats in parliament. Hitler's party failed to secure an absolute majority, necessitating another coalition with the DNVP.[165] Day of Potsdam and the Enabling Act Main article: Enabling Act of 1933 Hitler and Paul von Hindenburg on the Day of Potsdam, 21 March 1933 On 21 March 1933, the new Reichstag was constituted with an opening ceremony at the Garrison Church in Potsdam. This "Day of Potsdam" was held to demonstrate unity between the Nazi movement and the old Prussian elite and military. Hitler appeared in a morning coat and humbly greeted Hindenburg.[166][167] To achieve full political control despite not having an absolute majority in parliament, Hitler's government brought the Ermächtigungsgesetz (Enabling Act) to a vote in the newly elected Reichstag. The Act—officially titled the Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich ("Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich")—gave Hitler's cabinet the power to enact laws without the consent of the Reichstag for four years. These laws could (with certain exceptions) deviate from the constitution.[168] Since it would affect the constitution, the Enabling Act required a two-thirds majority to pass. Leaving nothing to chance, the Nazis used the provisions of the Reichstag Fire Decree to arrest all 81 Communist deputies (in spite of their virulent campaign against the party, the Nazis had allowed the KPD to contest the election[169]) and prevent several Social Democrats from attending.[170] On 23 March 1933, the Reichstag assembled at the Kroll Opera House under turbulent circumstances. Ranks of SA men served as guards inside the building, while large groups outside opposing the proposed legislation shouted slogans and threats towards the arriving members of parliament.[171] The position of the Centre Party, the third largest party in the Reichstag, was decisive. After Hitler verbally promised party leader Ludwig Kaas that Hindenburg would retain his power of veto, Kaas announced the Centre Party would support the Enabling Act. The Act passed by a vote of 441-84, with all parties except the Social Democrats voting in favour. The Enabling Act, along with the Reichstag Fire Decree, transformed Hitler's government into a de facto legal dictatorship.[172] Dictatorship At the risk of appearing to talk nonsense I tell you that the National Socialist movement will go on for 1,000 years! ... Don't forget how people laughed at me 15 years ago when I declared that one day I would govern Germany. They laugh now, just as foolishly, when I declare that I shall remain in power![173] — Adolf Hitler to a British correspondent in Berlin, June 1934 Having achieved full control over the legislative and executive branches of government, Hitler and his allies began to suppress the remaining opposition. The Social Democratic Party was banned and its assets seized.[174] While many trade union delegates were in Berlin for May Day activities, SA stormtroopers demolished union offices around the country. On 2 May 1933 all trade unions were forced to dissolve and their leaders were arrested. Some were sent to concentration camps.[175] The German Labour Front was formed as an umbrella organisation to represent all workers, administrators, and company owners, thus reflecting the concept of national socialism in the spirit of Hitler's Volksgemeinschaft ("people's community").[176] In 1934, Hitler became Germany's head of state with the title of Führer und Reichskanzler (leader and chancellor of the Reich). By the end of June, the other parties had been intimidated into disbanding. This included the Nazis' nominal coalition partner, the DNVP; with the SA's help, Hitler forced its leader, Hugenberg, to resign on 29 June. On 14 July 1933, the NSDAP was declared the only legal political party in Germany.[176][174] The demands of the SA for more political and military power caused anxiety among military, industrial, and political leaders. In response, Hitler purged the entire SA leadership in the Night of the Long Knives, which took place from 30 June to 2 July 1934.[177] Hitler targeted Ernst Röhm and other SA leaders who, along with a number of Hitler's political adversaries (such as Gregor Strasser and former chancellor Kurt von Schleicher), were rounded up, arrested, and shot.[178] While the international community and some Germans were shocked by the murders, many in Germany believed Hitler was restoring order.[179] On 2 August 1934, Hindenburg died. The previous day, the cabinet had enacted the "Law Concerning the Highest State Office of the Reich".[3] This law stated that upon Hindenburg's death, the office of president would be abolished and its powers merged with those of the chancellor. Hitler thus became head of state as well as head of government, and was formally named as Führer und Reichskanzler (leader and chancellor),[2] although Reichskanzler was eventually quietly dropped.[180] With this action, Hitler eliminated the last legal remedy by which he could be removed from office.[181] As head of state, Hitler became commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Immediately after Hindenburg's death, at the instigation of the leadership of the Reichswehr, the traditional loyalty oath of soldiers was altered to affirm loyalty to Hitler personally, by name, rather than to the office of commander-in-chief (which was later renamed to supreme commander) or the state.[182] On 19 August, the merger of the presidency with the chancellorship was approved by 88 per cent of the electorate voting in a plebiscite.[183] Hitler's personal standard In early 1938, Hitler used blackmail to consolidate his hold over the military by instigating the Blomberg-Fritsch affair. Hitler forced his War Minister, Field Marshal Werner von Blomberg, to resign by using a police dossier that showed that Blomberg's new wife had a record for prostitution.[184][185] Army commander Colonel-General Werner von Fritsch was removed after the Schutzstaffel (SS) produced allegations that he had engaged in a homosexual relationship.[186] Both men had fallen into disfavour because they objected to Hitler's demand to make the Wehrmacht ready for war as early as 1938.[187] Hitler assumed Blomberg's title of Commander-in-Chief, thus taking personal command of the armed forces. He replaced the Ministry of War with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), headed by General Wilhelm Keitel. On the same day, sixteen generals were stripped of their commands and 44 more were transferred; all were suspected of not being sufficiently pro-Nazi.[188] By early February 1938, twelve more generals had been removed.[189] Hitler took care to give his dictatorship the appearance of legality. Many of his decrees were explicitly based on the Reichstag Fire Decree and hence on Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution. The Reichstag renewed the Enabling Act twice, each time for a four-year period.[190] While elections to the Reichstag were still held (in 1933, 1936, and 1938), voters were presented with a single list of Nazis and pro-Nazi "guests" which carried with well over 90 per cent of the vote.[191] These elections were held in far-from-secret conditions; the Nazis threatened severe reprisals against anyone who did not vote or dared to vote no.[192] Nazi Germany Main article: Nazi Germany Economy and culture Main article: Economy of Nazi Germany Ceremony honouring the dead (Totenehrung) on the terrace in front of the Hall of Honour (Ehrenhalle) at the Nazi party rally grounds, Nuremberg, September 1934 In August 1934, Hitler appointed Reichsbank President Hjalmar Schacht as Minister of Economics, and in the following year, as Plenipotentiary for War Economy in charge of preparing the economy for war.[193] Reconstruction and rearmament were financed through Mefo bills, printing money, and seizing the assets of people arrested as enemies of the State, including Jews.[194] Unemployment fell from six million in 1932 to one million in 1936.[195] Hitler oversaw one of the largest infrastructure improvement campaigns in German history, leading to the construction of dams, autobahns, railroads, and other civil works. Wages were slightly lower in the mid to late 1930s compared with wages during the Weimar Republic, while the cost of living increased by 25 per cent.[196] The average work week increased during the shift to a war economy; by 1939, the average German was working between 47 and 50 hours a week.[197] Hitler's government sponsored architecture on an immense scale. Albert Speer, instrumental in implementing Hitler's classicist reinterpretation of German culture, was placed in charge of the proposed architectural renovations of Berlin.[198] Despite a threatened multi-nation boycott, Germany hosted the 1936 Olympic Games. Hitler officiated at the opening ceremonies and attended events at both the Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Summer Games in Berlin.[199] Rearmament and new alliances Main articles: Axis powers, Tripartite Pact, and German re-armament In a meeting with German military leaders on 3 February 1933, Hitler spoke of "conquest for Lebensraum in the East and its ruthless Germanisation" as his ultimate foreign policy objectives.[200] In March, Prince Bernhard Wilhelm von Bülow, secretary at the Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office), issued a statement of major foreign policy aims: Anschluss with Austria, the restoration of Germany's national borders of 1914, rejection of military restrictions under the Treaty of Versailles, the return of the former German colonies in Africa, and a German zone of influence in Eastern Europe. Hitler found Bülow's goals to be too modest.[201] In speeches during this period, he stressed the peaceful goals of his policies and a willingness to work within international agreements.[202] At the first meeting of his cabinet in 1933, Hitler prioritised military spending over unemployment relief.[203] Benito Mussolini with Hitler on 25 October 1936, when the axis between Italy and Germany was declared. Germany withdrew from the League of Nations and the World Disarmament Conference in October 1933.[204] In January 1935, over 90 per cent of the people of the Saarland, then under League of Nations administration, voted to unite with Germany.[205] That March, Hitler announced an expansion of the Wehrmacht to 600,000 members—six times the number permitted by the Versailles Treaty—including development of an air force (Luftwaffe) and an increase in the size of the navy (Kriegsmarine). Britain, France, Italy, and the League of Nations condemned these violations of the Treaty, but did nothing to stop it.[206][207] The Anglo-German Naval Agreement (AGNA) of 18 June allowed German tonnage to increase to 35 per cent of that of the British navy. Hitler called the signing of the AGNA "the happiest day of his life", believing that the agreement marked the beginning of the Anglo-German alliance he had predicted in Mein Kampf.[208] France and Italy were not consulted before the signing, directly undermining the League of Nations and setting the Treaty of Versailles on the path towards irrelevance.[209] Germany reoccupied the demilitarised zone in the Rhineland in March 1936, in violation of the Versailles Treaty. Hitler also sent troops to Spain to support General Franco during the Spanish Civil War after receiving an appeal for help in July 1936. At the same time, Hitler continued his efforts to create an Anglo-German alliance.[210] In August 1936, in response to a growing economic crisis caused by his rearmament efforts, Hitler ordered Göring to implement a Four Year Plan to prepare Germany for war within the next four years.[211] The plan envisaged an all-out struggle between "Judeo-Bolshevism" and German national socialism, which in Hitler's view required a committed effort of rearmament regardless of the economic costs.[212] Count Galeazzo Ciano, foreign minister of Mussolini's government, declared an axis between Germany and Italy, and on 25 November, Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan. Britain, China, Italy, and Poland were also invited to join the Anti-Comintern Pact, but only Italy signed in 1937. Hitler abandoned his plan of an Anglo-German alliance, blaming "inadequate" British leadership.[213] At a meeting in the Reich Chancellery with his foreign ministers and military chiefs that November, Hitler restated his intention of acquiring Lebensraum for the German people. He ordered preparations for war in the East, to begin as early as 1938 and no later than 1943. In the event of his death, the conference minutes, recorded as the Hossbach Memorandum, were to be regarded as his "political testament".[214] He felt that a severe decline in living standards in Germany as a result of the economic crisis could only be stopped by military aggression aimed at seizing Austria and Czechoslovakia.[215][216] Hitler urged quick action before Britain and France gained a permanent lead in the arms race.[215] In early 1938, in the wake of the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair, Hitler asserted control of the military-foreign policy apparatus, dismissing Neurath as foreign minister and appointing himself as War Minister.[211] From early 1938 onwards, Hitler was carrying out a foreign policy ultimately aimed at war.[217] World War II Hitler and the Japanese foreign minister, Yōsuke Matsuoka, at a meeting in Berlin in March 1941. In the background is Joachim von Ribbentrop. Early diplomatic successes Alliance with Japan See also: Germany-Japan relations In February 1938, on the advice of his newly appointed foreign minister, the strongly pro-Japanese Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hitler ended the Sino-German alliance with the Republic of China to instead enter into an alliance with the more modern and powerful Empire of Japan. Hitler announced German recognition of Manchukuo, the Japanese-occupied state in Manchuria, and renounced German claims to their former colonies in the Pacific held by Japan.[218] Hitler ordered an end to arms shipments to China and recalled all German officers working with the Chinese Army.[218] In retaliation, Chinese General Chiang Kai-shek cancelled all Sino-German economic agreements, depriving the Germans of many Chinese raw materials.[219] Austria and Czechoslovakia On 12 March 1938, Hitler announced the unification of Austria with Nazi Germany in the Anschluss.[220][221] Hitler then turned his attention to the ethnic German population of the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.[222] October 1938: Hitler is driven through the crowd in Cheb (German: Eger), in the mostly German-populated Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, which had been annexed to Nazi Germany as part of the Munich Agreement On 28-29 March 1938, Hitler held a series of secret meetings in Berlin with Konrad Henlein of the Sudeten German Party, the largest of the ethnic German parties of the Sudetenland. The men agreed that Henlein would demand increased autonomy for Sudeten Germans from the Czechoslovakian government, thus providing a pretext for German military action against Czechoslovakia. In April 1938 Henlein told the foreign minister of Hungary that "whatever the Czech government might offer, he would always raise still higher demands ... he wanted to sabotage an understanding by any means because this was the only method to blow up Czechoslovakia quickly".[223] In private, Hitler considered the Sudeten issue unimportant; his real intention was a war of conquest against Czechoslovakia.[224] In April Hitler ordered the OKW to prepare for Fall Grün (Case Green), the code name for an invasion of Czechoslovakia.[225] As a result of intense French and British diplomatic pressure, on 5 September Czechoslovakian President Edvard Beneš unveiled the "Fourth Plan" for constitutional reorganisation of his country, which agreed to most of Henlein's demands for Sudeten autonomy.[226] Henlein's party responded to Beneš' offer by instigating a series of violent clashes with the Czechoslovakian police that led to the declaration of martial law in certain Sudeten districts.[227][228] Germany was dependent on imported oil; a confrontation with Britain over the Czechoslovakian dispute could curtail Germany's oil supplies. This forced Hitler to call off Fall Grün, originally planned for 1 October 1938.[229] On 29 September Hitler, Neville Chamberlain, Édouard Daladier, and Mussolini attended a one-day conference in Munich that led to the Munich Agreement, which handed over the Sudetenland districts to Germany.[230][231] Chamberlain was satisfied with the Munich conference, calling the outcome "peace for our time", while Hitler was angered about the missed opportunity for war in 1938;[232][233] he expressed his disappointment in a speech on 9 October in Saarbrücken.[234] In Hitler's view, the British-brokered peace, although favourable to the ostensible German demands, was a diplomatic defeat which spurred his intent of limiting British power to pave the way for the eastern expansion of Germany.[235][236] As a result of the summit, Hitler was selected Time magazine's Man of the Year for 1938.[237] In late 1938 and early 1939, the continuing economic crisis caused by rearmament forced Hitler to make major defence cuts.[238] In his "Export or die" speech of 30 January 1939, he called for an economic offensive to increase German foreign exchange holdings to pay for raw materials such as high-grade iron needed for military weapons.[238] On 15 March 1939, in violation of the Munich accord and possibly as a result of the deepening economic crisis requiring additional assets,[239] Hitler ordered the Wehrmacht to invade Prague, and from Prague Castle he proclaimed Bohemia and Moravia a German protectorate.[240] Start of World War II See also: Causes of World War II In private discussions in 1939, Hitler declared Britain the main enemy to be defeated and that Poland's obliteration was a necessary prelude for that goal.[241] The eastern flank would be secured and land would be added to Germany's Lebensraum.[242] Offended by the British "guarantee" on 31 March 1939 of Polish independence, he said, "I shall brew them a devil's drink".[243] In a speech in Wilhelmshaven for the launch of the battleship Tirpitz on 1 April, he threatened to denounce the Anglo-German Naval Agreement if the British continued to guarantee Polish independence, which he perceived as an "encirclement" policy.[243] Poland was to either become a German satellite state or it would be neutralised in order to secure the Reich's eastern flank and prevent a possible British blockade.[244] Hitler initially favoured the idea of a satellite state, but upon its rejection by the Polish government, he decided to invade and made this the main foreign policy goal of 1939.[245] On 3 April, Hitler ordered the military to prepare for Fall Weiss ("Case White"), the plan for invading Poland on 25 August.[245] In a Reichstag speech on 28 April, he renounced both the Anglo-German Naval Agreement and the German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact.[246] Historians such as William Carr, Gerhard Weinberg, and Ian Kershaw have argued that one reason for Hitler's rush to war was his fear of an early death. He had repeatedly claimed that he must lead Germany into war before he got too old, as his successors might lack his strength of will.[247][248][249] Hitler portrayed on a 42 pfennig stamp from 1944. The term Grossdeutsches Reich (Greater German Reich) was first used in 1943 for the expanded Germany under his rule. Hitler was concerned that a military attack against Poland could result in a premature war with Britain.[244][250] Hitler's foreign minister and former Ambassador to London, Joachim von Ribbentrop, assured him that neither Britain nor France would honour their commitments to Poland.[251][252] Accordingly, on 22 August 1939 Hitler ordered a military mobilisation against Poland.[253] This plan required tacit Soviet support,[254] and the non-aggression pact (the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) between Germany and the Soviet Union, led by Joseph Stalin, included a secret agreement to partition Poland between the two countries.[255] Contrary to Ribbentrop's prediction that Britain would sever Anglo-Polish ties, Britain and Poland signed the Anglo-Polish alliance on 25 August 1939. This, along with news from Italy that Mussolini would not honour the Pact of Steel, prompted Hitler to postpone the attack on Poland from 25 August to 1 September.[256] Hitler unsuccessfully tried to manoeuvre the British into neutrality by offering them a non-aggression guarantee on 25 August; he then instructed Ribbentrop to present a last-minute peace plan with an impossibly short time limit in an effort to blame the imminent war on British and Polish inaction.[257][258] On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded western Poland under the pretext of having been denied claims to the Free City of Danzig and the right to extraterritorial roads across the Polish Corridor, which Germany had ceded under the Versailles Treaty.[259] In response, Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September, surprising Hitler and prompting him to angrily ask Ribbentrop, "Now what?"[260] France and Britain did not act on their declarations immediately, and on 17 September, Soviet forces invaded eastern Poland.[261] Hitler reviews troops on the march during the campaign against Poland (September 1939). The fall of Poland was followed by what contemporary journalists dubbed the "Phoney War" or Sitzkrieg ("sitting war"). Hitler instructed the two newly appointed Gauleiters of north-western Poland, Albert Forster of Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia and Arthur Greiser of Reichsgau Wartheland, to Germanise their areas, with "no questions asked" about how this was accomplished.[262] In Forster's area, ethnic Poles merely had to sign forms stating that they had German blood.[263] In contrast, Greiser agreed with Himmler and carried out an ethnic cleansing campaign towards Poles. Greiser soon complained that Forster was allowing thousands of Poles to be accepted as "racial" Germans and thus endangered German "racial purity".[262] Hitler refrained from getting involved. This inaction has been advanced as an example of the theory of "working towards the Führer", in which Hitler issued vague instructions and expected his subordinates to work out policies on their own.[262][264] Another dispute pitched one side represented by Heinrich Himmler and Greiser, who championed ethnic cleansing in Poland, against another represented by Göring and Hans Frank (governor-general of occupied Poland), who called for turning Poland into the "granary" of the Reich.[265] On 12 February 1940, the dispute was initially settled in favour of the Göring-Frank view, which ended the economically disruptive mass expulsions.[265] On 15 May 1940, Himmler issued a memo entitled "Some Thoughts on the Treatment of Alien Population in the East", calling for the expulsion of the entire Jewish population of Europe into Africa and the reduction of the Polish population to a "leaderless class of labourers".[265] Hitler called Himmler's memo "good and correct",[265] and, ignoring Göring and Frank, implemented the Himmler-Greiser policy in Poland. Hitler visits Paris with architect Albert Speer (left) and sculptor Arno Breker (right), 23 June 1940 On 9 April, German forces invaded Denmark and Norway. On the same day Hitler proclaimed the birth of the Greater Germanic Reich, his vision of a united empire of Germanic nations of Europe in which the Dutch, Flemish, and Scandinavians were joined into a "racially pure" polity under German leadership.[266] In May 1940, Germany attacked France, and conquered Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium. These victories prompted Mussolini to have Italy join forces with Hitler on 10 June. France and Germany signed an armistice on 22 June.[267] Kershaw notes that Hitler's popularity within Germany—and German support for the war—reached its peak when he returned to Berlin on 6 July from his tour of Paris.[268] Following the unexpected swift victory, Hitler promoted twelve generals to the rank of field marshal during the 1940 Field Marshal Ceremony.[269][270] Britain, whose troops were forced to evacuate France by sea from Dunkirk,[271] continued to fight alongside other British dominions in the Battle of the Atlantic. Hitler made peace overtures to the new British leader, Winston Churchill, and upon their rejection he ordered a series of aerial attacks on Royal Air Force airbases and radar stations in south-east England. On 7 September the systematic nightly bombing of London began. The German Luftwaffe failed to defeat the Royal Air Force in what became known as the Battle of Britain.[272] By the end of September, Hitler realised that air superiority for the invasion of Britain (in Operation Sea Lion) could not be achieved, and ordered the operation postponed. The nightly air raids on British cities intensified and continued for months, including London, Plymouth, and Coventry.[273] On 27 September 1940, the Tripartite Pact was signed in Berlin by Saburō Kurusu of Imperial Japan, Hitler, and Italian foreign minister Ciano,[274] and later expanded to include Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, thus yielding the Axis powers. Hitler's attempt to integrate the Soviet Union into the anti-British bloc failed after inconclusive talks between Hitler and Molotov in Berlin in November, and he ordered preparations for the invasion of the Soviet Union.[275] Boundaries of the Nazi planned Greater Germanic Reich In early 1941, German forces were deployed to North Africa, the Balkans, and the Middle East. In February, German forces arrived in Libya to bolster the Italian presence. In April, Hitler launched the invasion of Yugoslavia, quickly followed by the invasion of Greece.[276] In May, German forces were sent to support Iraqi rebel forces fighting against the British and to invade Crete.[277] Path to defeat On 22 June 1941, contravening the Hitler-Stalin Non-Aggression Pact of 1939, over 3 million Axis troops attacked the Soviet Union.[278] This offensive (codenamed Operation Barbarossa) was intended to destroy the Soviet Union and seize its natural resources for subsequent aggression against the Western powers.[279][280] The invasion conquered a huge area, including the Baltic republics, Belarus, and West Ukraine. By early August, Axis troops had advanced 500 km (310 mi) and won the Battle of Smolensk. Hitler ordered Army Group Centre to temporarily halt its advance to Moscow and divert its Panzer groups to aid in the encirclement of Leningrad and Kiev.[281] His generals disagreed with this change, having advanced within 400 km (250 mi) of Moscow, and his decision caused a crisis among the military leadership.[282][283] The pause provided the Red Army with an opportunity to mobilise fresh reserves; historian Russel Stolfi considers it to be one of the major factors that caused the failure of the Moscow offensive, which was resumed in October 1941 and ended disastrously in December.[281] During this crisis, Hitler appointed himself as head of the Oberkommando des Heeres.[284] Hitler announcing the declaration of war against the United States to the Reichstag on 11 December 1941 On 7 December 1941, Japan attacked the American fleet based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Four days later, Hitler declared war against the United States.[285] On 18 December 1941, Himmler asked Hitler, "What to do with the Jews of Russia?", to which Hitler replied, "als Partisanen auszurotten" ("exterminate them as partisans").[286] Israeli historian Yehuda Bauer has commented that the remark is probably as close as historians will ever get to a definitive order from Hitler for the genocide carried out during the Holocaust.[286] In late 1942, German forces were defeated in the second battle of El Alamein,[287] thwarting Hitler's plans to seize the Suez Canal and the Middle East. Overconfident in his own military expertise following the earlier victories in 1940, Hitler became distrustful of his Army High Command and began to interfere in military and tactical planning, with damaging consequences.[288] In December 1942 and January 1943, Hitler's repeated refusal to allow their withdrawal at the Battle of Stalingrad led to the almost total destruction of the 6th Army. Over 200,000 Axis soldiers were killed and 235,000 were taken prisoner.[289] Thereafter came a decisive strategic defeat at the Battle of Kursk.[290] Hitler's military judgement became increasingly erratic, and Germany's military and economic position deteriorated, as did Hitler's health.[291] The destroyed map room at the Wolf's Lair after the 20 July plot Following the allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, Mussolini was removed from power by Victor Emmanuel III after a vote of no confidence of the Grand Council. Marshal Pietro Badoglio, placed in charge of the government, soon surrendered to the Allies.[292] Throughout 1943 and 1944, the Soviet Union steadily forced Hitler's armies into retreat along the Eastern Front. On 6 June 1944, the Western Allied armies landed in northern France in one of the largest amphibious operations in history, Operation Overlord.[293] Many German officers concluded that defeat was inevitable and that continuing under Hitler's leadership would result in the complete destruction of the country.[294] Between 1939 and 1945, there were many plans to assassinate Hitler, some of which proceeded to significant degrees.[295] The most well known, the 20 July plot of 1944, came from within Germany and was at least partly driven by the increasing prospect of a German defeat in the war.[296] Part of Operation Valkyrie, the plot involved Claus von Stauffenberg planting a bomb in one of Hitler's headquarters, the Wolf's Lair at Rastenburg. Hitler narrowly survived because staff officer Heinz Brandt moved the briefcase containing the b

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