

Humans are eternal beings that undergo continuous reincarnation to polish their souls and improve themselves. This process of reincarnation results in a unique story for each individual personality. Happy Science’s spiritual investigations into the reincarnations of well-known people are bringing to light the secrets of this long process of soul polishing.

Donald Trump (1946~)Born in New York, Donald Trump began working in his father’s real estate business while studying at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a talented real estate developer, so his father allowed him to take over the business and he expanded its dealings to hotels, high-grade residences and casinos. He soon became a billionaire. In 2015 Trump announced that he would enter the race for the Republican Party nomination for US President. He won the primaries and was appointed the Republican nominee at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Trump continues to fight in the U.S. presidential elections, and is under fierce attack by the press. He became the Republican nominee contrary to all expectations. Even within the Republican Party many refuse to support him, and now the relationship between Trump and the Party is on the verge of fracture.

The protagonist for our series this time is the man in the eye of the storm: Donald Trump.

“Donald Is the Smartest Person I Know”

We often see vision of Trump shouting and being described as a ‘real estate tycoon’ and ‘scandal-plagued’, but Trump is actually an example of someone who made the American Dream come true.

Trump succeeded his father’s real estate business that was building low-cost residences in the Queens neighborhood of New York, and expanded the business to Manhattan. His father Fred told the New York Times in 1976 that “Donald is the smartest person I know”, which explains why he handed over the business to the second of his three sons.

In the 1970s, when Donald Trump entered Manhattan, New York was hit by a recession that made people fear the city would go bankrupt. Trump, however, saw this as an opportunity: he bought a huge area of land along the Hudson River that everybody else was afraid to touch, and began building 30,000 high-grade residences. This was a huge risk, considering that the total number of residences then owned by his business was only 24,000.

When Trump reflects on those days he recalls that Manhattan was for him the center of the world, and he was prepared to become part of that world no matter what financial crises may come his way.

It wasn’t a gamble for the sake of money; it was a huge investment with his life on the line. It took a long time, but the plan eventually succeeded, and the residences have now become a landmark along the Hudson River.

Trump continued to succeed in large projects by balancing the interests of companies, banks and city councils. He made it through the recession and a television program that he hosted became a hit, making him increasingly well known.

According to spiritual investigations by Happy Science, in his past life Donald Trump was born as George Washington, one of America’s founding fathers, and its first president.

George Washington (1732-1799)Born into the gentry in Colonial Virginia, as an adult George Washington joined the militia. He was made commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and led a number of successful campaigns to drive out the British. After presiding over the Constitutional Convention of 1787, he became the first president of the United States of America.

George Washington, born into a wealthy family in 1732, developed an interest in land and became a surveyor. He inherited his father’s land and later increased his land holdings numerous times.

“We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lesson from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting from dearly bought experience.”

These words of George Washington have a familiar Trump-like ring to them.

An Honest Man

Washington was well known for his honesty. There is a famous anecdote: when he was still young, Washington admitted cutting down his father’s beloved cherry tree and received praise for his honesty. We now know that this never happened, but it does illustrate how much ‘honesty’ became a key quality that Washington was known for.

Washington became a major in the Virginia militia when Virginia was occupied by Britain and France, and eventually entered the army and climbed its ranks. In the Revolutionary War he served as commander-in-chief and drove off the British, eventually winning America’s independence.

As a commander, Washington showed great honesty and earnestness. In strategy meetings, he incorporated the opinions of his generals as much as possible, became a father figure to young officers and was impartial when giving rewards and punishments. He wrote detailed war reports to the Continental Congress and earned the trust of its members. When the army captured a German soldier who had been forced into battle, Washington ordered that the soldier be treated like an ally. As a result of his virtuous attitude, 3,000 prisoners of war decided to remain in the U.S. after the war ended.

In order to avoid the creation of a dictatorship, Washington withdrew from a proposed third presidential term and established the tradition that Presidents serve a maximum of two terms (eight years in total).

No doubt, many will be skeptical that Donald Trump was born previously as George Washington; but like Washington, Trump is actually an honest man, unlike the ‘casino magnate’ image people tend to place on him. People comment that their impression of Trump changes substantially when they consider how successful he has been, especially when they consider his top-grade buildings.

For example, most of Manhattan Trump Tower’s high-class residential apartments were sold before the construction had finished. Trump Tower is a product of persistent professionalism: the atrium uses marble personally selected by Trump and the railings are made from polished brass. A dishonest man could not have made such a high-class apartment that continues to impress Manhattan’s celebrities.

Trump anecdotes are not devoid of heroism either: when the design plans for Trump Tower were completed, Trump found that construction of the nearby city ice rink was at a standstill. Trump proposed to the council that he take responsibility for constructing and running the facility and the council accepted his proposal. As a result, the construction, which had not moved for six years, was completed in just five months.

Trump’s success is not only legendary; it is the outcome of his honest work.

A Surprise Attack That Turned the Tables in War

While Trump has shown that he is adept at fighting an election campaign, Washington also displayed a knack for strategic warfare.

During the Revolutionary War, 48,000 British forces were sent to the American continent. The Americans were somehow able to gather 45,000 militiamen with little training. Needless to say, the Continental Army suffered a series of losses.

With the Continental army in dire straits, Washington decided to make a surprise attack. This became known as the Battle of Trenton. At the time the British were establishing their winter quarters in the hinterland, and there were only around 1,400 men at Trenton. On the night of the 25th of December, Washington led 2,400 men across the river and seized the area. This became a pivotal point in the Revolutionary War.

Trump’s battle in the election campaign is very similar to a surprise attack in dire straits.

Trump has by-passed all politically correct words and mannerisms, and cut straight to the point with sharp and often violent criticisms. As a result, he has received a great deal of support from people who are weary of politicians and their deceptive facades. While his chief rivals for the Republican nomination, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush, focused on the commonsense gathering of votes from Hispanics, Trump came out saying he will build a wall along the Mexican border. This earned Trump strong support from the white voters, and the other candidates were pushed into the background.

If we look at the fact that Trump has gained support from 63% of white voters, compared to the 16% support he has from Hispanic voters, and the higher support rate within the general public as opposed to the intellectuals, it is clear that his strategy was effective.

Since debates finally began with Hillary Clinton in September this year, Trump has been harshly slammed for his lawful tax evasion and sexist remarks. The Trump team, now up against Clinton’s team that has the advantages of immense funds and press support, can be compared to Washington’s army fighting against the British.

Washington was known to have boldly stood amidst the shower of bullets in the Battle of Princeton to encourage his men. Now, how will Trump fare amidst this shower of criticisms?

Founding a Nation Upon the Will of God

Here are some well-known quotes of George Washington:

“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits.” (October 3, 1789) “We have abundant reason to rejoice, that, in this land, the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition, and that every person may here worship God according to the dictates of his own heart.” (January 22, 1793) “I am sure there never was a people, who had more reason to acknowledge a divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe, that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of that God, who is alone able to protect them.” (March 11, 1782) “There is a Destiny which has the control of our actions, not to be resisted by the strongest efforts of Human Nature” (September 12, 1758) “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man” (August 28, 1788)

Column1 Trump Racism Scandal Trump has often been criticized for racism. This may perhaps be related to his past life. George Washington had black slaves in his estate, but he was looking to a future where slaves could be freed without causing disorder in American society. He formed peace treaties with Native Americans, and tried to set a boundary of non-aggression. Trump condemns illegal immigrants, but he welcomes lawful immigration and international students. His ‘wall’ idea can be seen as his way of trying to set a boundary of non-aggression. George Washington’s trusted black servant William Lee is included in his portrait.