In typical Donald Trump fashion, the real estate mogul announced today at a rowdy press conference that he is running for President of the United States in 2016. Standing among a crowd of loyal fans, and one or two billionaires including Stewart Rahr, the newly announced presidential candidate came out guns blazing, attacking everyone from Jeb Bush to China, and dedicating a good amount of time to President Obama. Speaking from the Trump Tower on 57th street in New York, he was introduced by his daughter, Ivanka Trump, while Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the free world,” played in the background.
With “Make America Rich Again” as his war cry, Trump started things off focusing on foreign policy and trade, blasting American leadership for allowing China to become dominant. After deriding China for using the U.S. as its dumping ground, he targeted Mexico, noting, “they are not our friend.” Among his most controversial statements of the morning, Trump said Mexico is not only stealing American jobs—he mentioned a specific Ford factory that was being moved below the border—but flooding the country with illegal immigrants, which he plans to stop by building a wall separating the country’s that would be paid by the Mexican government.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 16: Business mogul Donald Trump gives a speech as he announces his candidacy for the U.S. presidency at Trump Tower on June 16, 2015 in New York City. Trump is the 12th Republican who has announced running for the White House. (Photo by Christopher Gregory/Getty Images)
Before moving on to the Middle East, Trump made the first of his many attacks against President Obama, calling his Affordable Healthcare Act “the big lie.”
On the Middle East, Trump said Israel’s existence is being called into question by Iran, which was made powerful by the failed Iraq invasion. Furthermore, he suggested U.S. support of Saudi Arabia is one-sided, giving them equipment and military muscle, but receiving nothing in exchange. To wrap things up, Trump said he would find the next General Patton and come down hard on ISIS. “No one will be tougher on ISIS than President Trump.”
The real estate billionaire also criticized other politicians, “the 400 or so” usual characters, he said, who live off lobbying and donor support. Touting his own independence, he noted “I’m really rich,” adding, “it may sound crass […] but it feels good to use my own money.”
One of the biggest moments of the conference was when Trump unveiled his claim that he has a net worth $8.7 billion, which he said was put together by a top notch accounting agency that he didn’t mention by name. That is more than double the $4.1 billion estimate Forbes put together during our latest billionaire issue in March. Trump’s claim lacks specific details and includes a $2 billion value for such amorphous assets as his personal brand.
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