for more than a year, journalists covering the presidential campaign for the new york times have been delving into the lives of donald j. trump and hillary clinton . here<u+2019>s what we<u+2019>ve learned about the candidates<u+2019> pasts and what drives them, going back to long before they ran for president. the death of trump<u+2019>s brother mr. trump said the death of his brother , freddy, as an alcoholic in 1981 at the age of 43 led him to avoid ever trying alcohol or cigarettes. he seemed to learn a painful lesson about how bad choices could bring down someone seemingly destined to rise. clinton<u+2019>s undercover civil rights work as a law student in 1972, mrs. clinton went to alabama to help prove whether schools were discriminating based on race. to do so, she pretended to be a mother seeking a school, an out-of-character assignment that appeared to be a moment of awakening. trump motivated by gaining stature president obama<u+2019>s taunting of mr. trump at the white house correspondents<u+2019> association dinner in 2011 hastened his desire to improve his standing in the political world . he is driven, in part, by a deep need to be taken seriously, according to our reporting. how trump lives, from his longtime butler there aren<u+2019>t many people who understand mr. trump<u+2019>s whims, demands and desires like his butler, anthony senecal , who has worked at the mar-a-lago estate for nearly 60 years, almost 30 of them for mr. trump. he offered a look at how to lift mr. trump<u+2019>s spirits, and how he likes his steak cooked. clinton<u+2019>s long journey mrs. clinton<u+2019>s several decades in the spotlight, and the attacks she endured in that time, shaped her readiness to fight a bare-knuckle campaign. each time she assumed a new role <u+2014> politician<u+2019>s wife, first lady, senator and secretary of state <u+2014> she has redefined the perception of women in american politics. how <u+2018>the apprentice<u+2019> created a showman mr. trump<u+2019>s show, <u+201c>the apprentice,<u+201d> vaulted him from a new york luminary to a national star , and gave him the experience in showmanship that would be on display during the campaign. he ad-libbed his signature <u+201c>you<u+2019>re fired<u+201d> line in the first episode, creating a sensation. an early influence on trump roy cohn , who was the right-hand man of senator joseph mccarthy and new york<u+2019>s most feared lawyer before dying in 1986, deeply influenced mr. trump<u+2019>s campaign. the two had a close relationship, and those who knew mr. cohn recognize his style in mr. trump<u+2019>s approach. inside the six weeks trump was a nonstop <u+2018>birther<u+2019> in 2011, when the conspiracy theory that president obama was born outside the united states was limited largely to the fringes, mr. trump recognized an opportunity to connect with the electorate. his efforts to take the debunked theory mainstream foreshadowed how he would become an imposing competitor in the presidential campaign. clinton as litigator an examination of mrs. clinton<u+2019>s early work as a litigator reveals how unglamorous it often was (a lawsuit on rat parts in a can of pork and beans). it also gives hints of what kind of politician she would become. how trump treated a miss universe alicia machado, a former miss universe whom mrs. clinton brought to prominence by mentioning her during a debate, recalled her experience with mr. trump during interviews with the times. she said she had gone to psychologists to combat the trauma from mr. trump<u+2019>s treatment. trump<u+2019>s draft deferments mr. trump received five draft deferments during the vietnam war, including one for bone spurs in his feet that he said later healed. his public statements have conflicted with selective service records, and he has been hazy in recalling details. correction: november 4, 2016 an earlier version of this article misspelled the given name of the former right-hand man of senator joseph mccarthy. he was roy cohn, not ray. find out what you need to know about the 2016 presidential race today, and get politics news updates via facebook , twitter and the morning briefing newsletter .
their lives, up close: what we<u+2019>ve learned about donald trump and hillary clinton
daniel victor