Donald Trump officially declared his candidacy for the presidency in a speech Tuesday. "I'm really rich," Trump said. "And by the way, I'm not even saying that in a braggadocious--that's the kind of thinking you need for this country." Trump promised that he would make America rich, too.
Although Trump didn't explicitly state that he's running for the GOP nomination, the Republican National Committee welcomed him to the race:
Welcome to the race, @realDonaldTrump! http://t.co/KYSwDBBDEn Take the straw poll & show you're fired up for #2016! pic.twitter.com/3ozTOVENnF
— GOP (@GOP)
June 16, 2015
Lachlan Markay notes that Trump has given thousands of dollars in donations to likely Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton:
Trump is currently polling in ninth place in the national RealClearPolitics average of polls. Officials at Fox News have said that the first GOP presidential debate will include the top 10 candidates in an average of national polls.