A long way to the top for Trump and Xi

Donald Trump is 71, Xi Jinping is 64. Both men trod a long road to leadership.

US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing yesterday. Picture: AP

Donald Trump is 71. His father, Fred, inherited and built a large property development business. His mother, Mary Anne, a migrant from Scotland, worked as a maid until her marriage. Trump has five children from three marriages, and nine grandchildren. His wife Melania, who grew up in Slovenia, was a model.

Xi Jinping is 64. His father, Zhongxun, was a politburo member, vice-premier and deputy head of the parliament. His mother, Qi Xin, held the family together when Zhongxun was purged at the start of the Cultural Revolution.

An early marriage lasted just three years. Xi has been married for 30 years to Peng Liyuan, a famous soprano who sang with the People’s Liberation Army musical troupe, often a soloist on TV. Their daughter, Xi Mingze, studied at Harvard University.

Trump gained an economics degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, then succeeded his father, becoming president of the Trump Organisation until his inauguration as President in January. He built and renovated office towers, hotels, casinos and golf courses, and became a TV personality, producing and hosting The Apprentice series for 12 years. He is the oldest and richest person to become US President, and the first without any previous government or military service.

Xi’s education was disrupted, like that of all his generation, by the Cultural Revolution.

He began studying chemical engineering at Tsinghua University as that chaotic period ended, and later Marxist philosophy part time at the same institution, being awarded a doctor of law degree. But by then he had risen steadily through Communist Party postings around the country, in the usual manner leaders are groomed in China — in Fujian, then Zhejiang, and briefly in Shanghai.

He has been party general secretary, and thus China’s top leader, for five years and two weeks ago was reaffirmed for a further five years.