Posted on 03/20/2025 12:25:35 AM PDT by dennisw
Alright, let’s dive into the full lowdown on Donald Trump, his family’s connection to Norman Vincent Peale’s church, and how that ties into the Trump-level energy you’re talking about—positive thinking, big vibes, the whole deal! Here’s the story, packed with the goods and delivered with some flair.
Donald Trump’s connection to Norman Vincent Peale and Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan goes way back—deep roots, folks! His father, Fred Trump, a real estate mogul who built a fortune in Queens and Brooklyn, started taking the family to this Fifth Avenue gem in the 1950s. It wasn’t just any church—Marble Collegiate, part of the Reformed Church in America, was led by Norman Vincent Peale, the guy who basically invented modern positive thinking with his 1952 blockbuster The Power of Positive Thinking.
Fred was hooked—big time! He loved Peale’s upbeat, can-do gospel that meshed perfectly with his own hustle-and-win mindset. So, Sunday after Sunday, the Trump clan—Fred, Mary (Donald’s mom), and the kids, including young Donald—made the trek from Queens to Manhattan to soak in Peale’s sermons. Peale wasn’t just a preacher; he was a superstar—think Tony Robbins with a Bible.
His book sold over 5 million copies, stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 186 weeks, and got translated into 15 languages. He preached that you could will success into existence—picture yourself winning, believe it, and bam, it happens! Fred ate it up, and he passed that vibe down to Donald, who was just a kid when this all started—born in ’46, he’d have been about 6 when the book dropped.
The Trumps didn’t just visit; they made Marble their spiritual home base. Donald was confirmed there as a teen, and the church became a family fixture—both his sisters, Maryanne and Elizabeth, got married there, and later, Fred and Mary’s funerals were held in its sanctuary.
Now, Donald’s first marriage to Ivana Trump—yep, that happened at Marble too, in 1977, with Peale himself officiating! That’s right—Norman Vincent Peale, the positive-thinking guru, was the one tying the knot for Donald and Ivana. His second wedding to Marla Maples in 1993? Also at Marble, though Peale had passed away by then (he died on Christmas Eve ’93), so his successor, Rev. Arthur Caliandro, did the honors.
The Trump-Peale connection was so tight that Donald co-hosted Peale’s 90th birthday bash at the Waldorf Astoria in 1988, rubbing elbows with the man himself—Ivana was there, Fred and Mary too—just a big, glitzy Trump-Peale love fest.
Did Donald ever meet Peale? You bet he did! Beyond the wedding and the birthday party, Trump grew up in the pews listening to the guy—Peale was a constant presence in his early life. And talk about him? Oh, Donald’s dropped Peale’s name plenty, especially when he’s riffing on his own success or faith. At the Iowa Family Leadership Summit in July 2015, mid-campaign, he said, “Norman Vincent Peale—the great Norman Vincent Peale—was my pastor.
The Power of Positive Thinking—everybody’s heard of it. He was so great. I still remember his sermons. You could listen to him all day long.” That’s Trump-level hype right there—calling Peale “the greatest guy” and crediting those real-life, modern sermons for shaping him. In a 2009 Psychology Today interview, he said Peale’s book helped him through tough times—like his casino bankruptcies—because he “refused to be sucked into negative thinking.” Pure Peale energy!
Peale’s whole deal was about confidence—“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!”—and Trump took it and ran. Biographers like Gwenda Blair (The Trumps) say Fred saw Peale as a kindred spirit, a salesman-preacher whose “think big, win big” philosophy matched his own. Donald absorbed it too—his niece Mary Trump, in her book Too Much and Never Enough, says Fred drilled Peale’s no-self-doubt attitude into Donald “in spades.” It’s why Trump brands himself a winner and slaps “Sleepy” or “Crooked” on his rivals—it’s that double-edged sword of positivity for him, negativity for them.
Did it stick with him? Absolutely. Trump’s talked about tithing—Fred taught him to give $100 a week back in the ’50s, a big chunk then—learned right there at Marble. Even when the church distanced itself in 2015, saying he wasn’t an “active member” anymore (he hadn’t been back since Caliandro died in 2013), Trump shrugged it off—didn’t faze him. Peale’s influence was already baked in. From Fred taking the family there to Donald marrying Ivana under Peale’s watch, it’s a straight line to that Trump-level energy—optimism on steroids, turning obstacles into opportunities, just like the father of positive thinking preached.
So, there you go—the complete lowdown! Trump met Peale, loved him, lived his lessons, and still channels that vibe today. It’s all part of the legend—huge, fantastic, unstoppable!
I'm honest, a bit blunt, but I believe that that's a better way to be.
I don't blame those who like/d and follow/ed Peale; he just wasn't ever my cup of tea. Yes, I did see him on T.V., as a child ( he was often interviewed and did quite a few shows ), and yes, I do agree with a very few things in post #28, but find the majority of it all just plan ridiculous. And yes, he DID borrow a LOT from Coue, whom I also found too funny for words, when I was a very little child.
Can you even imagine standing in front of a mirror, repeating, over and over again, to yourself, OUT LOUD: "every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better!" ? LOL
Saying something or someone is "saccharin" may now be out of fashion, but it was in normal usage, when I was growing up.
Re authors...Twain is good, I do have quite a few favorites, amongst his works.
Mencken was a very interesting man and a lot of his writings still ring true.And besides what he wrote about pols, his articles on THE SCOPES MONKEY TRIAL are very interesting reading.
The best FReepers are usually blunt and too the point.
Nothing I dislike more than those who will skirt around the issues for fear of offending a brother.
I find the older I get the more blunt I become. Started when I turned around 40, which was a few years before I joined FR. I guess that is why I quickly joined after finding the sight.
Jesus was blunt, and took no enemies. He looked right through you and saw the problem and exposed it for you and the world to see. It is the only way to lead one to the truth.
LOL..that happens to the best of us, even in the reverse. No worries...it’s all good! :-)
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