[Updated June 16, 2015] Real estate magnate and reality television star Donald Trump has been toying with running for president since 2000, but never pulled the trigger. On June 16, in a bravura performance at Trump Tower in New York, he announced his campaign.
Mr. Trump had been appearing at campaign-style events in early primary and caucus states. At the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference in late February, Trump positioned himself as an outsider with the right experience – business, not politics – to fix Washington.
"Washington is totally broken and it's not going to get fixed unless we put the right person in that top position. It's just not going to happen," Trump said. "I'm not a politician, thank goodness. Politicians are all talk, no action. I’ve dealt with them all my life."
Trump said at his campaign announcement that he is worth more than $8 billion.