President Trump Seeks 2nd Term, After Overcoming Impeachment
2020-09-07
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1Donald John Trump is seeking election to a second term as president of the United States.
2He is the 45th U.S. president, and only the third to have been impeached, but then cleared of the charges.
3Trump officially launched his re-election campaign in June 2019 during a visit to Orlando, Florida.
4He told supporters, "We did it once and now we will do it again, and this time we're going to finish the job."
5His campaign slogan is "Keep America Great," a change in wording from his 2016 slogan, "Make America Great Again."
6Before entering politics, Trump was a well-known New York real estate developer and television personality.
7He took command of his family's real estate business after completing studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance.
8The business expanded under his leadership.
9It became known for building hotels, casinos, and golf courses around the world.
10In the early 1990s, the company was forced to reorganize to repay creditors.
11Trump sought bankruptcy protection on properties in New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
12He slowly rebuilt his businesses and by 2016, Forbes magazine estimated that he was worth over $3 billion.
13In 2004, Trump became the producer and star of the reality television (TV) show "The Apprentice," which was very popular.
14The series was broadcast on NBC television for over 10 years.
15For much of his time as a TV star, Trump stayed involved in national politics.
16He was a leading supporter of what is called the 'birther' conspiracy.
17It falsely claimed then-President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.
18During his years as president, Trump has worked in support of tax reform, brought home U.S. troops from Syria, and named two Supreme Court justices.
19He also appointed nearly 200 other judges to lower federal courts.
20Trump has pushed policies to try to stop illegal immigration, especially from Mexico.
21He got congressional approval to build a Mexican border wall with nearly $1.4 billion.
22He later declared a state of emergency to free up $3.6 billion more for the wall.
23For three years, Trump took credit for economic growth that included an unemployment rate of 3.5 percent, the lowest in 50 years.
24He noted that during his presidency, the leading measures of stock prices rose to all-time highs.
25But that success ended without warning as the coronavirus pandemic spread from China around the world in early 2020.
26Trump questioned whether the coronavirus could kill large numbers of people in the United States.
27The virus spread to all 50 states and the nation was soon in an economic crisis.
28For weeks, Trump met once a day with reporters to talk about the virus.
29Health experts advised Americans to wear face masks to limit the spread of the virus.
30Trump has said covering one's face is a personal choice and did not wear a mask in public until July 2020.
31The U.S. jobless rate reached 14.7 percent in April, then dropped to 10.2 percent in August.
32Trump said he expected much better days for the economy in the second half of 2020 and into 2021.
33While the coronavirus swept across the country, the death of George Floyd led to nationwide protests against the police treatment of Black Americans.
34They became part of the "Black Lives Matter" movement.
35Floyd was an African American man who died in police detention.
36Witnesses recorded videos of his death.
37Trump expressed support for peaceful demonstrations but also said that protesters shouting "Black Lives Matter" were a "symbol of hate."
38By September 2020, Trump's political future was unclear at best.
39Several studies of likely voters showed him behind former Vice President Joe Biden by about 6.9 percentage points.
40Trump's foreign policy has been defined by his words "America First."
41He pulled the United States out of several international agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris climate agreement, and the Iran nuclear deal.
42On trade, Trump kept his campaign promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, while launching a trade war with China.
43The president has repeatedly questioned the amount of money the United States spends to defend other countries.
44He has criticized NATO, the Western military alliance that was formed after World War II.
45Trump has had a difficult relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.
46Yet he has developed friendly relationships with traditional U.S. enemies, such as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
47Trump has faced major challenges as president, including congressional efforts to oust him from power.
48Democratic Party lawmakers claimed that he asked Ukraine's leader to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, for wrongdoing that would help Trump win re-election.
49The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives impeached him in late 2019,
50but the Republican-controlled Senate dismissed the charges in early 2020.
51I'm Susan Shand.
1Editor's Note: Today's profile is of President Donald Trump, the Republican Party presidential nominee. Check in tomorrow for a profile of former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic Party presidential nominee. 2Donald John Trump is seeking election to a second term as president of the United States. He is the 45th U.S. president, and only the third to have been impeached, but then cleared of the charges. 3Trump officially launched his re-election campaign in June 2019 during a visit to Orlando, Florida. He told supporters, "We did it once and now we will do it again, and this time we're going to finish the job." 4His campaign slogan is "Keep America Great," a change in wording from his 2016 slogan, "Make America Great Again." 5Earlier successes 6Before entering politics, Trump was a well-known New York real estate developer and television personality. He took command of his family's real estate business after completing studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance. The business expanded under his leadership. It became known for building hotels, casinos, and golf courses around the world. 7In the early 1990s, the company was forced to reorganize to repay creditors. Trump sought bankruptcy protection on properties in New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey. He slowly rebuilt his businesses and by 2016, Forbes magazine estimated that he was worth over $3 billion. 8In 2004, Trump became the producer and star of the reality television (TV) show "The Apprentice," which was very popular. The series was broadcast on NBC television for over 10 years. For much of his time as a TV star, Trump stayed involved in national politics. He was a leading supporter of what is called the 'birther' conspiracy. It falsely claimed then-President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. 9Trump's presidency 10During his years as president, Trump has worked in support of tax reform, brought home U.S. troops from Syria, and named two Supreme Court justices. He also appointed nearly 200 other judges to lower federal courts. 11Trump has pushed policies to try to stop illegal immigration, especially from Mexico. He got congressional approval to build a Mexican border wall with nearly $1.4 billion. He later declared a state of emergency to free up $3.6 billion more for the wall. 12For three years, Trump took credit for economic growth that included an unemployment rate of 3.5 percent, the lowest in 50 years. He noted that during his presidency, the leading measures of stock prices rose to all-time highs. But that success ended without warning as the coronavirus pandemic spread from China around the world in early 2020. Trump questioned whether the coronavirus could kill large numbers of people in the United States. 13The virus spread to all 50 states and the nation was soon in an economic crisis. For weeks, Trump met once a day with reporters to talk about the virus. Health experts advised Americans to wear face masks to limit the spread of the virus. Trump has said covering one's face is a personal choice and did not wear a mask in public until July 2020. 14The U.S. jobless rate reached 14.7 percent in April, then dropped to 10.2 percent in August. Trump said he expected much better days for the economy in the second half of 2020 and into 2021. 15While the coronavirus swept across the country, the death of George Floyd led to nationwide protests against the police treatment of Black Americans. They became part of the "Black Lives Matter" movement. 16Floyd was an African American man who died in police detention. Witnesses recorded videos of his death. 17Trump expressed support for peaceful demonstrations but also said that protesters shouting "Black Lives Matter" were a "symbol of hate." 18By September 2020, Trump's political future was unclear at best. Several studies of likely voters showed him behind former Vice President Joe Biden by about 6.9 percentage points. 19Foreign policy 20Trump's foreign policy has been defined by his words "America First." He pulled the United States out of several international agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris climate agreement, and the Iran nuclear deal. 21On trade, Trump kept his campaign promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, while launching a trade war with China. 22The president has repeatedly questioned the amount of money the United States spends to defend other countries. He has criticized NATO, the Western military alliance that was formed after World War II. 23Trump has had a difficult relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Yet he has developed friendly relationships with traditional U.S. enemies, such as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. 24Presidential challenges 25Trump has faced major challenges as president, including congressional efforts to oust him from power. Democratic Party lawmakers claimed that he asked Ukraine's leader to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, for wrongdoing that would help Trump win re-election. 26The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives impeached him in late 2019, but the Republican-controlled Senate dismissed the charges in early 2020. 27I'm Susan Shand. 28VOA reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 29________________________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31impeach - v. to charge the president of the United States with a crime 32slogan - n. a phrase that represents one's beliefs 33real estate - n. residential or commercial property that is used as an investment 34golf course - n. the grassy area where the game of golf is played 35casino - n. a place where one can legally gamble 36bankruptcy - n. to legally declare oneself unable to pay back debts 37conspiracy - n. the belief that there are forces working agains the good 38pandemic - n. a contagious disease the crosses into several countries 39challenge - n. problems or things that must be overcome to succeed