Happy 70th birthday Donald Trump: The many sides of the US presidential hopeful on his big day

Leading GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump turned 70 on Tuesday, 14 June. In the last 12 months alone the real estate tycoon-turned-politician has made major strides in his bid to become Obama's successor and take the White House. To mark his milestone, IBTimes UK takes a look at the many sides of Trump.

The businessman

Trump is worth an estimated $4.5bn (£3.2bn). While he did inherit wealth from his father, Fred Trump, he is personally responsible for accumulating the majority of his fortune, which comes from his real estate ventures and various businesses.

Before he decided to mix business and politics to become, arguably, one of the most despised men in the world, he was admired as a successful mogul. It's no lie that just like his presidential campaign, when it comes to his business tactics, Trump plays hardball. "In the end, you're measured not by how much you undertake but by what you finally accomplish," he once said.

However, not everything Trump has put his name behind has prospered. After narrowly escaping financial ruin in the early 1990s by delaying payments on his debts, his controversial business practices have faced fierce scrutiny. He recently made headlines after he managed to still make millions despite his casinos in Atlantic City going bankrupt.

Reality star

Donald Trump first rose to prominence in the 1970s as a New York City celebrity. But in 2004, after dominating the real estate world, his career experienced a resurgence thanks to reality TV. With the help of The Apprentice US, he reinvented himself as the American equivalent of Lord Alan Sugar and won over a new audience. The new gig suited his vibrant personality, allowed him to demonstrate his moral code and was the warm-up routine for his political career.

The husband

Trump has been married three times with his first two unions to Ivana Zelníčková and Marla Maples ending in 1991 and 1999 respectively. In 2005, he tied the knot with jewellery designer and former model Melanija Knavs (now Melania), seven years after they met at a Fashion Week party. During campaign trail, his 46-year-old right-hand woman has stayed mostly in the background.

"I'm choosing not to go political in public because that is my husband's job. I'm very political in private life, and between me and my husband I know everything that is going on. I follow from A to Z," she previously told Harper's Bazaar. "But I chose not to be on the campaign. I made that choice. I have my own mind. I am my own person, and I think my husband likes that about me."

Of their relationship body language expert Judi James said: "A true alpha male animal will always have the pick of the females and Trump's wife is beautiful enough to keep this legend going. The only fly in the ointment is that she is no Nancy Regan. Her body language will often hint that she doesn't want to be there at all. She can look dour or disconnected, rather than adoring at times, which is possibly why Trump seems to favour posing with equally glam Ivanka, who has inherited her mother's ability to produce the 100 watt red carpet smile for the cameras."

She adds: "You feel that good old 'It is what it is' first wife Ivana would have been out there door-stepping in person to gain votes for Trump but it's clear from the tight body language between him and his daughters that he's bred a seamless support system should Melania prefer to take more of a back seat."

The father

Trump has five children: Donald Jr., Ivanka , Eric, Tiffany, and Barron. The billionaire's heirs appear to be well adjusted individuals who share a close bond with their father. One thing to note is that he is not only their dad: he is also their boss and mentor. When answering questions about their relationship with their father on stage during various pit stops of his campaign trail, they always seem sincere, down-to-earth and human despite their privileged upbringing at the hands of an army of nannies.

According to James, Trump's poses with eldest daughter Ivanka are less dad and daughter and more Hollywood royalty. "If he's not going to look smug about his wife he can sure look smug about having a beautiful daughter, even patting her baby bump on stage to register pride that the Trump blood is still pumping its way through the generations."