posted June 16, 2015 02:58 PM            

Trump wallowed in political incorrectness as he insulted everyone from Mexican immigrants to Jeb Bush and U.S. ally Saudi Arabia in announcing his bid for the Republican nomination.

"I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created," Trump predicted in a long, combative speech in the atrium of Trump Tower on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.

The billionaire, widely seen as having almost no chance of winning the nomination, brings an outsized personality and a penchant for controversy to an unusually large group of Republicans vying for the presidency.

In highly provocative comments, Trump accused Mexico of sending rapists and other criminals to live in the United States.

"They're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing their problems," he said. "They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some I assume are good people but I speak to border guards and they tell us what we are getting."

Eleven other Republicans have announced they are running for next November's election, the latest being former Florida Governor Jeb Bush who launched his candidacy on Monday.

Trump hit out at Bush for backing the Common Core education initiative to set national education standards, which is mistrusted by many Republicans.

"Bush is totally in favor of Common Core. I don’t see how he can possibly get the nomination. He’s weak on immigration, he’s in favor of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can’t do it."

Trump, who owns several hotels and hosts the reality show "The Celebrity Apprentice" on NBC, boasted having $8.7 billion in net worth, a number he says he released so that America understands he is not a loser.

Trump has toyed with running in past elections before deciding not to do so. This time, he said, the United States under Obama needs him to come to the rescue.

"Our enemies are getting stronger and stronger by the day and we as a country are getting weaker," he said.

Republican strategists and officials cringe at the thought of Trump grabbing attention away from the party's more serious candidates as it tries to win back the White House after defeats in 2008 and 2012.

Trump's first big campaign challenge will be to make it into a Fox News debate of Republicans in August that will be open to only the top 10 candidates in national polling.

He languishes in 12th place, ahead of former New York Governor George Pataki, in a Reuters/Ipsos online poll of 13 Republicans who have either declared their candidacies or, like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, are likely to. Bush leads the poll.

In other surveys, Trump has high negative ratings, with more than 50 percent of Americans saying they will never consider voting for him.

On Tuesday, he saved his wildest attacks for foreign policy, frequently accusing China of stealing American jobs through crafty business practices and portraying himself as a tough negotiator who would beat Beijing at its own game.

"Hey, I’m not saying they’re stupid. I like China. I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China," he said.

"No, I love them, but their leaders are much smarter than our leaders," he said. "It’s like, take the New England Patriots and Tom Brady and have them play your high school football team. That’s the difference between China’s leaders and our leaders. They are ripping us.”

posted June 17, 2015 07:58 PM            

@realDonaldTrump – Mr. Trump should know he’s doing something right when the malcontents go ballistic in the press! There is no denying Donald J. Trump’s accomplishments and drive to create opportunity for every willing American to succeed. His own success is testament to the job-creating achievements made possible when one applies the courageous and tenacious pro-private sector precepts we need to fire up the economy. Trump joins a competitive field of GOP candidates that will duke it out in the arena of ideas and track records, a field representing diverse achievements. This, in contrast with the pro-big government party’s practice of merely anointing a chosen one, thus robbing voters of healthy debate.

Key to conservative’s victory is to do our own vetting of each candidate, focus on their ability to unleash America’s entrepreneurial spirit and dramatically shrink government in order to prioritize our nation’s security. That means we ignore the media’s participation in the liberals’ Pantsuit Politics of Personal Destruction. THEN, on an even playing field, in 2016 we charge forward after the radical left hears America shout, "You’re fired!"

posted June 19, 2015 12:56 PM            

Wouldn't it be lovely if we all had a few million (and a rich dad for backer/boss)to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps with? And when we failed got a bailout loan from relatives and bankruptcy to minimalize our losses? Yes sirree he is the epitome of American go getterism...and misleading advertising.

posted June 19, 2015 04:50 PM            

So, let's see.

Trump took a few million inherited dollars and turned them into more than $9 BILLION.

posted June 19, 2015 07:12 PM            

Cher, worth a modest $300+ million
And Madonna, pushing a Billion
Paul McCartney also pushing a billion
Richard Branson worth 5Billion and not a penny of it Daddy's (and no head traumas visible)

posted June 20, 2015 01:53 AM            

Being successful is not the criteria for the Oval Office.
-------

"Branson's business empire is owned by a

complicated series of offshore trusts and

companies..."

---

Totally on the up and up!

I think you just like being contentious.

posted June 20, 2015 01:56 PM            

I didnt say anything about how Bransons holdings are organized. He started with nothing, plain and simple. His family were not poor but neither did they hand him a position in a big company or a "few millions" to play with. Not really that confusing izzit?

posted June 22, 2015 11:43 AM            

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump didn't take kindly to Republican operative Karl Rove saying on "Fox News Sunday" that people should ignore Trump as a serious candidate.

As he often does with his critics, Trump took to Twitter Sunday to denounce Rove:

Donald J. Trump
✔ ý@realDonaldTrump
.@KarlRove still thinks Romney won! He doesn't have a clue! @FoxNews
8:54 PM - 21 Jun 2015

Trump specifically addressed Rove's criticism that even though he announced his run on Tuesday, he still had not filed a one-page declaration of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission.

Rove said Trump will put that off as long as possible because it will force him to lay out his vast assets and liabilities.

"He gets to have two 45-day extensions," Rove said. "He will delay filing that piece of paper, and mark my words, he will delay and ask for extensions as long as possible.”

Not so, said Trump, tweeting:

Donald J. Trump
✔ ý@realDonaldTrump
.@KarlRove, who spent $430 million in the last cycle and didn't win one race, said I'm not a candidate until I file papers. Next week Karl!
6:28 PM - 21 Jun 2015

Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, told Bloomberg News that Trump will not file an extension.

"When Mr. Trump files his declaration of candidacy and his personal financial disclosure statement, we look forward to the public acknowledgement from Karl Rove that he is once again wrong about presidential politics," Lewandowski said.

Karl Rove predicted a Romney win in 2012, and Trump hasn't forgotten. (He also had harsh words for Rove's comment on the same show that the only way to completely stop gun violence is to repeal the Second Amendment.)

Donald J. Trump
✔ ý@realDonaldTrump
.@KarlRove stated clearly that he wants to repeal the 2nd Amendment. I thought @FoxNews was going to fire that jerk after his Romney fiasco?
8:46 PM - 21 Jun 2015

Donald J. Trump
✔ ý@realDonaldTrump
"@Auburnfan2155: @realDonaldTrump @KarlRove Karl Rove destroyed the Republican Party. Time to rebuild it." True!
8:38 PM - 21 Jun 2015

Though he retweeted some fans who said that Fox News hosts Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity like him, Trump was clearly miffed at most of Fox News Channel in general.

posted June 22, 2015 01:08 PM            

Media attention hog is all it is about

posted June 22, 2015 09:49 PM            

I was talking about people who have succeeded, unlike Trump, without head starts and deep pocketted families to give them a leg up.