The victory of Donald Trump came as a shock to many people who could not believe that a rich businessman and part-time actor could become President of the United States. Yet, electing a celebrity and a man of business to even the highest political office is not unprecedented in the USA.

Ronald Reagan was a president of war and peace: He signed a treaty with the Soviet Union to reduce the number of nuclear missiles but also supplied weapons to specific civil wars factions. Before becoming Governor of California in 1967 and president in 1981, Reagan was a successful movie star. Since his debut in 1937, Reagan had acted in over 50 movies.

Donald Trump also played a part in movies such as „Zoolander“ and „Home Alone 2. Lost in New York“. His real on-screen-fame derived from hosting the business show „The Apprentice“, though, where contestants competed for an internship with him.

A philanthropist as vice president 

Ronald Reagan is not the only example of how an “outsider” came to occupy an important position in the White House. From 1974 to 1977, the New York business tycoon Nelson Rockefeller occupied the post of vice president after having sought the nomination of the Republican Party three times. Before turning towards politics, Rockefeller worked in number of businesses including banks and oil companies.

Donald Trump’s career started out in real estate. Throughout his career, he acquired a vast number of buildings, hotels and casinos. The most famous of these is the “Trump Tower” in New York City.

The actor Reagan and the businessman Rockefeller have both occupied important positions in the White House. As Trump’s predecessors, they have shown that in America, you can be elected to a high office without having dedicated your life to politics. However, in contrast to Trump, they did gain political experience before aspiring to take the reins of the over 300 million citizens of the USA. Let’s just hope that Donald Trump rises to the challenge and is not hampered by his lack of know-how in the field of politics.

Gastautor :Jan Freytag