Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

"Donald Trump presidential campaign" redirects here. For his 2000 presidential campaign, see Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2000.

Donald J. Trump for President
Campaign	U.S. presidential election, 2016
Candidate	Donald Trump
Affiliation	Republican Party
Status	Announced: June 16, 2015
Headquarters	725 Fifth Avenue New York City, New York
Key people	Corey Lewandowski, campaign manager Katrina Pierson, national spokesperson
Receipts	US$19,405,216 (2015-12-31)
Slogan	Make America Great Again!
Website
Official website

The 2016 presidential campaign of Donald John Trump, real estate magnate and television personality, formally launched on June 16, 2015. Donald Trump announced his candidacy for President of the United States in the 2016 election at the Trump Tower in New York City with the slogan "Make America Great Again!" His campaign manager is Corey Lewandowski.

Trump's populist and nativist politics brought him tremendous support among working-class voters, including voters without college educations, amid heavy and frequent controversies in the news media. His proposed policies and his statements about the state of the country have propelled him to be the consistent Republican front-runner in public opinion polls. A number of his remarks have been considered controversial by many political figures and notably many mainstream media outlets, whose constant reporting of the events has arguably aided Trump's rise in the polls. Persistent media coverage partnered with his ability to effectively self-finance his entire campaign has allowed him to eschew the super PAC model, which he regularly criticizes along with politicians who use the model for their own campaign fundraising. His abstention from political correctness has been a staple theme of his campaign, and proved to be popular among his supporters. Trump's most polarizing and widely reported statements have been on issues of immigration and border security, with Trump proposing deportation of all illegal immigrants, a substantial wall on the Mexican-American border, and a temporary ban on alien Muslims entering the U.S., while speaking extensively about perceived issues pertaining to illegal immigrants travelling over the Mexican border into the U.S.

In the 2016 Iowa caucus, Trump ranked second out of all the Republican nominees, garnering 24% of the vote, behind Ted Cruz with 28%. Trump later won the New Hampshire primary with slightly over 35% of the vote.

Background

Further information: Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2000

Since the 1988 presidential election, Trump has been considered a potential candidate for President in nearly every election. In October 1999, Trump declared himself a potential candidate for the Reform Party's presidential nomination, but withdrew on February 14, 2000. In 2004, Donald Trump identified as a Democrat, openly supported Hillary Clinton, and donated a large sum of money to Democratic groups. Trump rejoined the Republican Party in 2009. In early 2011, presidential speculation reached its highest point and Trump began to take a lead in polls among Republican candidates in the 2012 election. However, Trump announced in May 2011 that he would not be a candidate for the office.

At the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Trump said he is "pro-life" and "against gun control". He has spoken before Tea Party supporters. In December 2008, Trump emerged as an early supporter of the 2009 government backed rescue plan for the U.S. auto industry which by 2012 gained the support of 56% of Americans (63% support in Michigan), according to a Pew Research Center poll. In May 2015, Trump said he was opposed to granting President Barack Obama fast track trade authority in a Trans-Pacific Partnership. Instead, Trump expressed a desire for stronger negotiations with China on trade together with tariffs if necessary. Trump has called for a policy of leadership to deal with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) which he has criticized for causing high oil prices.

In 2011, polls had Trump among the leading candidates. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll from March 2011 showed Trump in the lead for the Republican nomination for president of the United States. A February 2011 Newsweek poll placed Trump within a few points of President Obama in a potential 2012 presidential contest, with many voters undecided. A poll released in April 2011 by Public Policy Polling showed Trump having a nine-point lead in a potential contest for the Republican nomination for President of the United States while he was still actively considering a run. In December 2011, Trump placed sixth in the "ten most admired men and women living of 2011" USA Today/Gallup telephone survey. Trump has been a featured speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). In 2013, Trump researched a possible run for President of the United States in 2016. In October 2013, New York Republicans suggested Trump should run for governor of the state in 2014. In February 2015, Trump did not renew his television contract for The Apprentice, which raised speculation of his candidacy for president of the United States in 2016.

Announcement

Donald Trump speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)

Trump formally announced his candidacy for the presidency in the 2016 election on June 16, 2015. His announcement came at a campaign rally at Trump Tower in New York City. Trump said, "We are going to make our country great again" and also announced that he would be the "greatest jobs president that God ever created." His 45-minute presidential campaign announcement speech, the longest of the major party candidates to date, included a pledge to restore the "American dream ... bigger and better and stronger than ever before." Trump said he would keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and criticized John Kerry's Iranian negotiations. He also criticized Kerry's overall judgment, in breaking his leg (at age 71) riding his bicycle; Trump made a campaign promise "never [to] be in a bicycle race." In the speech, Trump also pledged he would fund Social Security, renegotiate U.S. trade agreements, oppose federal Common Core education standards, and complete the United States-Mexico border fence and make Mexico pay for it. Trump said he would self fund his presidential campaign, and would not need to use money from donors and lobbyists.

Most attention focused on Trump's comment on illegal immigration where he stated in part "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best... They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with [them]. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

The comment on illegal immigrants entering the United States through Mexico led several businesses and organizations—including NBC, Macy's, Univision, and NASCAR (along with sponsor Camping World)—to cut ties with Trump in the following days. Reactions from other presidential candidates were mixed, with some Republican candidates disagreeing with the tone of Trump's remarks yet supporting the core idea that illegal immigration is an important campaign issue, other Republican candidates preferring to avoid intra-party feuds with other Republican candidates and concentrate on putting forth their own positions, and several Republican candidates criticizing both Trump's remarks and his policy-stances (as did leading Democratic party candidates). Beyond the candidates, journalistic response to Trump's statement ranged from negative to neutral or positive. Fact-checking the comment, Washington Post wrote that the allegation of a correlation between illegal immigration and crime was false and gave the statement four pinocchios. Republican politician Steve King said he admired Trump's response to the backlash, saying that Trump "delivers more facts to support [his] statement" and that on the subject of illegal immigration Trump is more accurate than not. Rudy Giuliani, who ran in 2008, said Trump's statement could have been better stated, and that most illegal immigrants are good people who come to the country to work, but that an insecure border does also let in "terrorists, drug dealers, rapists, murderers, all of whom I've prosecuted." Various families of the victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants have come forth in support of Trump. For his part, Trump has defended his comments, claimed that "Democrats and [my] enemies" picked a relatively small portion of his announcement speech to criticize, cited news articles to back up his claims and made illegal immigration a major issue in his campaign. Trump later said that he intended his comments to be aimed solely at the government of Mexico, specifically for using the insecure border as a means of transferring criminals out of their own country, and says he did not intend his comments to refer to immigrants themselves in general.

Trump's announcement generated the highest Google search volume of any of the presidential candidates to date. According to Politico, the speech was "discursive, pugnacious... bizarre... most entertaining." Trump's announcement speech included the song "Rockin' in the Free World", causing Neil Young, the author of this song, to distance himself from Trump; Young supports Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. Despite a casting company having sent emails (some of which have leaked) to background actors explicitly asking them to cheer Trump for money, Trump's campaign manager denied that Trump paid any actors to cheer him at the event. An early supporter of Ronald Reagan for president, Trump trademarked the campaign slogan from the 1980 election, "Make America Great Again."

Campaign

See also: Nationwide opinion polling for the Republican Party 2016 presidential primaries and Nationwide opinion polling for the United States presidential election, 2016

Trump at an early campaign event in New Hampshire on June 16, 2015

Immediately after his announcement in New York, Trump traveled to Iowa to campaign in the state ahead of the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. Trump has also campaigned extensively in New Hampshire, site of the first Republican primary. Trump's campaign cancelled events in Charleston, South Carolina, in light of the June 17 mass shooting. Trump kicked off a western swing in early July 2015, giving rallies and speeches in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

On July 22, the Federal election regulators released new details of Trump's wealth and financial holdings that he submitted when he became a Republican presidential candidate. Trump's campaign released a statement claiming his net worth to be over US$10 billion, but Forbes estimates that it is US$4 billion. On July 23, he visited the Mexican border to highlight his stance with regards to opposition towards illegal immigration. The border patrol union pulled out of the planned event.

Michael Cohen, Trump's senior counsel, was criticized for claiming that "you cannot rape your spouse" in response to a Daily Beast article about Trump's divorce proceedings. The article related how Ivana Trump had accused her ex-husband of raping her, a claim she has since retracted. Cohen subsequently apologized for his comments.

In response to a question asking candidates during the first primary debate, the main Fox News debate held on August 6, 2015, whether they would pledge to support the Republican party in the general election, Trump refused to rule out a third-party candidacy. When pressed, he also refused to say he would endorse the eventual Republican nominee. After meeting with Reince Priebus (chairman of the Republican National Committee) in New York, during a news conference at Trump Tower on September 3, Trump announced he had signed the loyalty pledge.

On August 21, 2015, the Federal Election Commission released the list of filings from Super PAC's backing candidates in the 2016 presidential race, which revealed that Trump is the only major presidential candidate among the GOP candidates who does not have a Super PAC supporting his candidacy.

On December 21, 2015, Trump attacked Hillary Clinton saying that her bathroom break during the last Democratic debate was just too "disgusting" to talk about and then stating she "got schlonged" by Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race. Trump responded to critical coverage of these statements by saying the mainstream media is "dishonest", that the term "schlonged" was not vulgar, and citing a 1984 NPR report in which the term was used to mean "beaten badly".

Trump and supporters attend a rally in Muscatine, Iowa in January 2016. Multiple supporters hold up signs, which read "The silent majority stands with Trump".

Rallies and crowds

Trump regularly holds crowds with more people in attendance than any other 2016 presidential candidate. More than 9,000 people registered to attend Trump's rally on July 11, 2015 at the Phoenix Convention Center. Trump was introduced by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. During his speech, Trump invoked Richard Nixon's "silent majority" speech, saying, "the silent majority is back."

On July 24, the Des Moines Register announced that it had been denied press credentials to cover a Trump campaign family picnic in Oskaloosa, Iowa, due to an editorial the previous week which called on Trump to drop out of the race.

Trump and supporters attend a rally in Muscatine, Iowa in January 2016. Multiple supporters hold up signs, which read "The silent majority stands with Trump".

On August 21, Trump held a campaign rally at the Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, with approximately 30,000 people in attendance.

During an August 25 press conference, Trump's chief of security Keith Schiller forcibly ejected Univision anchor Jorge Ramos. On September 3, Schiller was filmed punching a protester.

On January 2, 2016, Trump's campaign rally in Biloxi, Mississippi, set a record for most people ever attending a political function in the history of the state. At the Biloxi rally, the YouTuber duo Diamond and Silk riled up the crowd, urging Democrats and independents in the audience to "ditch and switch", i.e. to register as Republicans and vote for Trump if they really wanted to show their support. It is believed that this could be an important strategy for the Trump campaign as it might be relying on people who do not tend to vote and trying to persuade some Democrats and independents to change parties so that they can vote in states that allow only registered Republicans to participate.

Trump's campaign, scheduled for a January 7, 2016, appearance in the traditionally liberal city of Burlington, Vermont, came under scrutiny for releasing approximately 20,000 tickets for a 1,400-person venue. The Burlington mayor and police chief both expressed concern for a public-safety risk from crowds of people, likely including many protesters, to be turned away from entry.

John McCain

Arizona Senator John McCain was not supportive of Trump's position on illegal immigration, and in an interview with The New Yorker said, "what he did was he fired up the crazies." Trump later asked McCain for an apology. McCain did not apologize, saying "crazies" was "a term of endearment", and "a term of affection".

Trump received criticism for saying of McCain: "He’s not a war hero" and "He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured." Trump acknowledged, "If somebody’s a prisoner, I consider them a war hero"; however, he criticized "politicians like John McCain" for having "totally failed" on veterans issues and on securing the border. Trump declared his support for veterans and pledged to "build the finest and most modern veterans hospitals in the world."

Asked whether Trump should apologize to him for the remarks, McCain said on MSNBC: “I don’t think so. I think he may owe an apology to the families of those who have sacrificed in conflict and those who have undergone the prison experience in serving their country.” Trump later stated that he did not owe the Senator an apology. Investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson detailed how the Washington Post had taken Trump's remarks on McCain out of context; she stated in part, "In fact, Trump’s actual quote is the opposite of what is presented in the Post’s first sentence." Politifact rated Trump's claim that the quote was taken out of context as "mostly false". Trump's comments generated disagreement among the other Republican presidential candidates, including Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Rick Santorum, Rand Paul, Bobby Jindal, Mike Huckabee, and Chris Christie. Two candidates, George Pataki and Rick Perry, openly called on Trump to withdraw from the race over his comments. Conversely, two other candidates came to Trump's defense: Ben Carson and Ted Cruz, with Carson commenting that all differing opinions should be heard, and with Cruz opining that the party should stop its infighting altogether in order to unite. Before the first voting in Iowa, all the candidates who criticized Trump had either withdrawn or were in single-digit popularity polling.

Lindsey Graham

On July 21, Trump publicly gave out Senator Lindsey Graham's phone number during a speech in South Carolina as a response to Graham calling him a "jackass". Graham released a statement on Twitter that he would "probably [be] getting a new phone" and later released a video in which he destroyed his phone. Gawker subsequently released a phone number belonging to Trump, and he responded by setting the phone number to play a campaign message. Trump's response was described as "brilliant" and Time Magazine said, "You can't out-troll the Donald."

Jeb Bush

The Jeb Bush–Trump dynamic became one of the most fiery relationships among the Republican contenders. Bush's campaign spent millions of dollars on anti-Trump ads, while in response Trump mocked Jeb Bush with the lasting epithet that he was "low energy". During an exchange with Jeb Bush in the ninth GOP Debate in South Carolina, the audience (most favoring Bush) repeatedly boo'd Trump. Trump scoffed that the audience was made up of "Jeb's special interests and lobbyists". When asked whether he remained in favor of impeachment for George W. Bush for starting the Iraq War, Trump said, "They [the George W. Bush administration] lied. They said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none. And they knew there were none. There were no weapons of mass destruction."

Fox News

Trump was one of ten candidates in the main Fox News debate on August 6, 2015. At the beginning of the debate, Bret Baier asked the candidates in case they do not win the Republican nomination if they would pledge not to run as an independent candidate and would support the eventual nominee. Trump was the only candidate who refused to pledge at that time. Baier questioned Trump about Obamacare, Chris Wallace asked him about Mexican illegal immigrants, and Megyn Kelly asked about how he would respond to a Clinton campaign saying that he was waging a "war on women". Trump replied, "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct."

In a later interview with Don Lemon on CNN Tonight, Trump said that Kelly is a "lightweight" and had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her... wherever." Trump tweeted that his remark referred to Kelly's nose but was interpreted by critics as a reference to menstruation. RedState.com editor Erick Erickson cancelled Trump's invitation to a RedState meeting, saying "there are just real lines of decency a person running for President should not cross." The Trump campaign issued a statement calling Erickson "a total loser" and saying that anyone who thought Trump's comment was a reference to menstruation was "a deviant".

Trump retained the first place after the debate, with an NBC News poll showing him at 23% support and a Reuters/Ipsos poll at 24%, followed by Ted Cruz at 13% and Ben Carson at 11%.

Veterans for a Strong America event

Further information: Veterans for a Strong America

The Veterans for a Strong America (VSA) organized an event for Trump on September 15, 2015. According to the Associated Press, the IRS revoked the nonprofit status of the organization, and its endorsement of Trump raised campaign finance questions as corporations are restricted to donating up to US$2,700 to a campaign, but the event exceeded that amount. Other concerns raised include reports that the VSA does not appear to have any members or relation with veterans. According to CNN, the group "sounds like a charity", "touted having more than a half-million supporters", "is a political action group whose tax-exempt status was revoked" but is "appealing the decision", and CNN had "found scant evidence" the group has the number of supporters claimed. Regarding female veteran support, Trump has addressed the issue that VA hospitals do not permanently staff ObGyn doctors; showing an utter lack of respect for female veterans. Trump continued on to express that "Under the Trump plan, every VA hospital in the country will be fully equipped with ObGyn and other women's health services."

Campaign support from family members

Although Trump has called his wife Melania "my pollster", and has said she strongly supports his presidential run, he held back early in the campaign from asking her to actively campaign for him, although "she will", he told CNN in September 2015. She did appear both at her husband's June 2015 campaign announcement, and in the audience at the Fox News debate in Cleveland; and in November 2015 did several televised interviews, and spoke briefly at a Trump campaign rally in South Carolina, also attended by a number of Trump's other family members.

If Trump were to become President, his wife Melania (Slovenian-born, and a naturalized U.S. citizen) would become only the second U.S. First Lady in history to be born outside the United States (after Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams).

Citizen Trump

Citizen Trump with Chris Matthews, often abridged as Citizen Trump, is an original documentary about Donald Trump's "career and path to politics, chronicling the events that have led to his Presidential run", originally airing on MSNBC on December 22, 2015. The documentary marks the first in a series of shows profiling the 2016 United States presidential election.

False flag conspiracy theory

A conspiracy theory appearing in the Washington Post, Salon, Esquire, Gawker, Talking Points Memo and several other political news outlets, and which has been endorsed by several of Trump's opponents, posits that Trump is running a "false flag operation" for presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. According to this theory, Trump intends to help her secure the presidency by obtaining the Republican nomination, or running as a third party candidate, which Trump was initially reluctant to rule out, but eventually did.

Republican front-runner

Trump signs the Republican loyalty pledge: if Trump does not become the Republican Party nominee for the 2016 general election, he pledges to support whomever the nominee may be, and to not run as a non-Republican.

Trump has consistently had high poll numbers during his candidacy. A survey conducted by The Economist/YouGov released July 9, 2015, was the first major nationwide poll to show Trump as the 2016 Republican presidential front-runner. A Suffolk/USA Today poll released on July 14, 2015, showed Trump with 17% support among Republican voters, with Jeb Bush at 14%. A Washington Post/ABC News poll taken on July 16–19, showed Trump had 24% Republican support, over Scott Walker at 13%. A CNN/ORC poll showed Trump in the lead at 18% support among Republican voters, over Jeb Bush at 15%, and a CBS News poll from August 4 showed Trump with 24% support, Bush second at 13%, and Walker third at 10%.

A CNN/ORC poll taken August 13–16, 2015, in the swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania showed Trump ahead of, or narrowly trailing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in direct match-ups in those states. In Florida, Trump led by two points, and in both Ohio and Pennsylvania, he was within just five points of Clinton.

Trump has had a persistently high popularity among Republican and leaning-Republican minority voters. Surveys taken in late 2015 showed Trump polling unfavorably among women and non-white voters, with 64% of women viewing Trump unfavorably and 74% of non-white voters having a negative view of the candidate, according to a November 2015 ABC News/Washington Post poll. A Public Religion Research Institute survey in November 2015 found that many of his supporters are working class voters with negative feelings towards migrants, as well as strong financial concerns. Many polls show Trump polling significantly favorably among minority and woman voters compared to past and present Republican presidential candidates, citing a September 2015 SurveyUSA poll. This poll also reports that Trump garners some support from voters outside of his party.

Trump's status as the consistent front-runner for the Republican nomination led to him being featured on the cover of Time magazine in August 2015, with the caption: "Deal with it." Although some establishment Republicans expressed concern by late 2015 about Trump's negative effect, were he to become the Republican nominee, on other Republican candidates running for Congressional or Gubernatorial positions in 2016, few leading donors seemed willing to sponsor a negative campaign against him. "A 'Stop Trump' effort wouldn't work, and it might help him", said Republican Senator Lamar Alexander. While the National Republican Senatorial Committee circulated a confidential memo in September 2015 that did not dismiss the possibility of Trump winning the GOP nomination, it called him a "misguided missile" with "wacky ideas about women", and noted that he "is subject to farcical fits." The memo urged candidates to carve out platforms broadly consonant with Trump's anti-Washington messaging, and to "stake out turf in the same issue zone and offer your own ideas", while not getting "drawn into every Trump statement and every Trump dust-up." Candidates were advised in particular not "to re-engage the 'war on women' fight" and were told they "shouldn't go near this ground other than to say that your wife or daughter is offended by what Trump said."

Early caucuses and primaries

In the lead-up to the Iowa caucus, poll averages showed Trump as the front-runner with a roughly four percent lead. Ted Cruz came in first in the vote count, ahead of Trump. Cruz, who campaigned strongly among evangelical Christians, was supported by church pastors that coordinated a volunteer campaign to get out the vote. Before the Iowa vote, an email from the Cruz campaign falsely implied that Ben Carson was about to quit the race, encouraging Carson's supporters to vote for Cruz instead. Trump later posted on Twitter, "Many people voted for Cruz over Carson because of this Cruz fraud", and wrote, "Ted Cruz didn't win Iowa, he stole it."

Following his under-performance in Iowa, Trump rebounded to a significant victory in the New Hampshire primary, exceeding poll predictions. Trump commented that in the run-up to the primary, his campaign had "learned a lot about ground games in a week."

Campaign finances

Trump rejected all super PACs that claimed to support him. He has said: "I am self-funding my campaign and therefore I will not be controlled by the donors, special interests and lobbyists who have corrupted our politics and politicians for far too long. I have disavowed all super PAC's, requested the return of all donations made to said PAC's, and I am calling on all presidential candidates to do the same." Politifact reports that Trump's claims that he is "self-funding" his campaign are "half-true." By the end of 2015, Trump's campaign had raised $19.4 million, with almost $13 million (about 66%) coming from Trump himself and the remainder (34%) coming from others' contributions.

The announcement came a day after a main super PAC backing Trump closed amid scrutiny about its relationship to the campaign itself. Trump never gave his endorsement to that super PAC (Make America Great) or any of the other eight super PAC's supporting his run. Trump told campaign crowds “I don’t want anybody’s money”, and criticized other candidates for "form[ing] all these PAC's. People pour money into the PAC's. I don’t want ’em, don’t support ’em.”

Political positions

Trump has stated that he is a "conservative Republican." He has also described himself as a "common-sense conservative."

Abortion and reproductive care

Trump has described the evolution of his position on abortion; although he formerly took several pro-choice positions, he now describes himself as pro-life and would ban late-term abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or health. He is in favor of cutting federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Campaign finance

Trump has repeatedly stated, "I love the idea of campaign finance reform." In the first Republican primary debate in Cleveland on Fox News, Trump accused his Republican opponents of being bound to their campaign financiers, and that anyone (including Trump himself) could buy their policies with donations. Trump has stated that it is wrong that as a rich person he can have more influence than people without money. He has stated limits to contributions or spending would be "okay", although has not stated whether this would be achieved by further limits on contributions, regulating corporate spending, total limits on spending in elections, all of these or a combination.

Drug policy

Trump is supportive of states' rights to legalize and regulate cannabis.

Taxes

Trump has stated he wants to simplify the tax code, lower taxes for middle and working-class people, and increase taxes on wealthy private equity and hedge fund managers, who Trump says currently pay next to nothing. However, a detailed analysis by both the conservative Tax Foundation and non-partisan Tax Policy Center concluded that Trump's tax plan would "boost the after-tax incomes of the wealthiest households by an average of more than $1.3 million a year" and significantly lower taxes for the wealthy.

The Trump campaign's tax plan calls for reducing the corporate tax rate to 15% concurrent with the elimination of various loopholes and deductions. Notably, the plan would include a cap on business interest expense deductions, which were first made deductible in 1918. Opponents (primarily large banks and Wall Street private equity firms) of this change claim that capping business interest expense deductions would reduce corporate borrowing and thereby reduce the level of corporate investment. Proponents argue that a cap would reduce use of debt financing, in turn reducing systemic economic volatility. Another claim is that the lower tax rates enabled by such a cap would stimulate economic activity and slow or reverse the flight of US companies and capital moving to offshore tax "havens".

In September 2015, economist Larry Kudlow said that he supported Donald Trump's corporate tax plan, stating that the 15 percent plan is a "pro-growth, supply-side" program that would grow the nation's long-slagging economy. During the October 28 primary debate, Trump made note of Kudlow's support of his plan.

Economy

Trump identifies as a "free trader", although others such as conservative economist Stephen Moore consider him a protectionist. Trump says that he favors a 45 percent tariff on Chinese exports to the United States to give "American workers a level playing field."

In the June 2015 announcement of his candidacy, Trump claimed his experience and talent as a negotiator in private business would enhance his ability to negotiate better international trade deals as President, saying "[America] used to have victories, but we don't have them. When was the last time anybody saw us beating, let’s say, China in a trade deal? They kill us. I beat China all the time. All the time."

Trump opposes cap and trade. He supports a higher ethanol mandate (the amount of ethanol required by federal regulation to be blended into the U.S. gasoline supply). Despite expressing hatred for wind farms in the past (calling them "ugly"), Trump has said that does not oppose the wind production tax credit, saying: "I'm okay with subsidies, to an extent."

Trump strongly supports improving America's infrastructure.

Trump opposes increasing the U.S. minimum wage, saying that doing so would hurt America's economic competitiveness. Speaking at the Republican debate on November 10, Trump said, "We are a country that is being beaten on every front—economically, militarily. Taxes too high, wages too high, we're not going to be able to compete against the world ... People have to go out, they have to work really hard, and they have to get into that upper stratum."

Education

Trump has stated his support for school choice and local control for primary and secondary schools. On school choice he's commented, "Our public schools are capable of providing a more competitive product than they do today. Look at some of the high school tests from earlier in this century and you’ll wonder if they weren't college-level tests. And we’ve got to bring on the competition—open the schoolhouse doors and let parents choose the best school for their children. Education reformers call this school choice, charter schools, vouchers, even opportunity scholarships. I call it competition—the American way."

He has stated he opposes the Common Core State Standards Initiative for primary and secondary schools, and has called Common Core "a disaster" that must be ended.

Environment

Trump contends that global warming is "a total hoax". "I think that clean air is a pressing problem. You want to have clean air, clean water. That's very important to me, and I've won many environmental awards. I am not a believer in climate change", Trump said. Trump was criticized for his joke that "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive."

Trump criticized President Obama's description of climate change as "the greatest threat to future generations", "naive", and "one of the dumbest statements I’ve ever heard."

Law and order

In 2015, Trump told a Patrolmen's Benevolent Association that "anybody killing a police officer, the death penalty is going to happen." He stated, "Police forces throughout the country have had a hard time, a lot of people killed."

Faith-based issues

Trump is identified as a Presbyterian and has expressed support for several issues and policy positions important to some Christians. In campaign speeches, he routinely has praised the Bible, often joking that his own book Trump: The Art of the Deal is his second favorite book after the Bible, which he has sometimes carried at campaign events. He drew some criticism in August 2015, however, when he was unwilling to cite his favorite Biblical passage. He has said he will defend what he sees as an assault on the Christmas holiday. "Remember the expression, 'Merry Christmas?' You don't see it anymore. You're going to see it if I get elected, I can tell you right now", he has said.

Trump has praised prominent national evangelical leaders, including Tony Perkins and Ralph Reed. In September 2015, he invited dozens of Christian and Jewish leaders to his New York City offices for a meeting and laying on of hands prayer gathering. On September 30, 2015, he received a blessing from Greek Orthodox priest Emmanuel Lemelson at a campaign rally in Keene, New Hampshire.

Trump has said he would support persecuted Christians in Iraq and Syria.

Firearms regulation

Trump supports the Second Amendment, is opposed to gun control in general, and has a New York concealed carry permit. He supports fixing the federal background check system so that criminal and mental health records are always put into the system. He once supported a ban on assault weapons and longer waiting periods for gun purchases but has since reversed his position. Trump plans to lift the ban on guns in military bases and recruiting centers. He also supports national right to concealed carry and allow gun permits to be applicable to all 50 states much like a driver's license. After the 2015 San Bernardino shooting Trump declared that the victims "could've protected themselves if they had guns"

Healthcare and Social Security

Trump favors replacing the Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as "Obamacare") with a free-market plan and competition to lower costs, although he has also stated support for a single-payer system in the past. He supports funding Social Security and Medicare rather than cutting them. He has previously expressed support for allowing people to privately invest their social security dollars.

Trump believes that childhood vaccinations are related to autism, a hypothesis which has been repeatedly debunked.

Veterans Affairs

Trump favors getting rid of backlogs and waitlists which are the focus of the Veterans Health Administration scandal. In a statement, he said he believes that Veterans Affairs facilities need to be upgraded with recent technology, hire more veterans to treat other veterans, increase support of female veterans, and create satellite clinics within hospitals in rural areas.

Immigration and border security

Border security

Trump has emphasized U.S. border security. During his announcement speech he stated in part, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems.... They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." On July 6, 2015, Trump issued a written statement to clarify his position on illegal immigration which drew a reaction from critics. It read in part:

"The Mexican Government is forcing their most unwanted people into the United States. They are, in many cases, criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc. This was evident just this week when, as an example, a young woman in San Francisco was viciously killed by a 5-time deported Mexican with a long criminal record, who was forced back into the United States because they didn’t want him in Mexico. This is merely one of thousands of similar incidents throughout the United States. In other words, the worst elements in Mexico are being pushed into the United States by the Mexican government. The largest suppliers of heroin, cocaine and other illicit drugs are Mexican cartels that arrange to have Mexican immigrants trying to cross the borders and smuggle in the drugs. The Border Patrol knows this. Likewise, tremendous infectious disease is pouring across the border. The United States has become a dumping ground for Mexico and, in fact, for many other parts of the world. On the other hand, many fabulous people come in from Mexico and our country is better for it. But these people are here legally, and are severely hurt by those coming in illegally. I am proud to say that I know many hard working Mexicans—many of them are working for and with me...and, just like our country, my organization is better for it."

Birthright citizenship

Trump opposes birthright citizenship based solely on birth within the United States, arguing that it should not be protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.

Border wall between U.S. and Mexico

During his first town hall campaign meeting in Derry, New Hampshire Trump claimed that if he won the election, "Day 1 of my presidency, illegal immigrants are getting out and getting out fast." Trump has stated he wants to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico to prevent illegal immigrants from entering into the country. In his 2015 book, he cites the Israeli West Bank barrier as a successful example.

"Before I came here, I saw, on the news, a family decimated ... their daughter torn apart by illegal immigrants. Many gang members, these rough guys, are illegal immigrants. We have to stop this ... I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall."

— Trump Announcement Speech

Reactions to comments on illegal immigration

Trump acknowledged that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus asked him to tone down his rhetoric on immigration reform and stated that his conversations with the RNC were "congratulatory" as well. José Antonio Meade Kuribreña, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs, said that "he is a politician who ignores the context in which it is participating", with regard to U.S. international economic relations and Trump's comments. Jeb Bush stated that "Trump is wrong on this" and "to make these extraordinarily kind of ugly comments is not reflective of the Republican Party." However, Jamiel and Anita Shaw, whose son was murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2008, came forward to defend Trump, with Anita Shaw stating on July 7, 2015, that, "it's time people listened to Trump" and "this guy who is running for President, Donald Trump, he's trying to do something and they're trying to shut him down." Jamiel Shaw spoke at the podium for Trump's July 11 rally at the Phoenix convention center, in part declaring, "I Trust Donald Trump." Two days later, escaped high-profile druglord Joaquín Guzmán was alleged to have issued threats through a Twitter account against Trump. The brother of Kate Steinle who was shot in San Francisco criticized Trump for politicizing his sisters death, telling Anderson Cooper Trump's platform "isn't exactly what our family believes in."

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz saluted Trump for giving attention to illegal immigration, while Congressman Steve King also defended Trump's remarks about illegal immigration and crime. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has repeatedly praised Trump's comments and his continued response to the backlash, saying that Trump has successfully changed the debate and brought the issue of immigration reform back to the foreground, while also not backing down against media scrutiny and businesses severing ties with him. Former Arizona governor Jan Brewer said, "I believe that Mr. Trump is kind of telling it like it really, truly is." Over 36,000 criminally convicted illegal immigrants were released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2013. On July 10, 2015, Limbaugh cited a report which he claimed supports Trump's remarks about illegal immigration and crime.

Univision announced it would no longer carry broadcasts of the Miss USA Pageant. In response, Trump indicated the matter would be handled by legal action, and followed through by filing a US$500 million lawsuit against Univision. The complaint asserts that Univision is attempting to suppress Trump’s First Amendment rights by putting pressure on his business ventures. NBC announced it would not air the Miss Universe or Miss USA pageant. Afterwards, the multinational media company Grupo Televisa severed ties with Trump, as did Ora TV, a television network partly owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. Trump gave the rights to broadcast the Miss Universe and Miss USA Pageants to the Reelz Channel.

Paulina Vega, the current Miss Universe and former Miss Colombia, said that, although she repudiates the immigration remarks of Trump, who in turn called her a "hypocrite", she cannot give up the crown because her contract forbids it, and she could be sued.

Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica will not send representatives to the Miss Universe competition.

Macy's announced it would phase out its Trump-branded merchandise. Serta, a mattress manufacturer, also decided to drop their business relationship with Trump. NASCAR ended sponsorship with Trump by announcing it would not hold their post season awards banquet at the Trump National Doral Miami. ESPN decided to relocate its ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic to the Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Beach. The charity golf tournament was once scheduled to be held at a golf course owned by Trump.

Reuters journalists found that Trump's companies sought to import 1,100 workers on H-2B visas since 2000.

Muslims

On November 19, a week after the November 2015 Paris attacks, when Trump was asked if he would implement a database system tracking Muslims in the United States, he stated: "I would certainly implement that. Absolutely. There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases. We should have a lot of systems." On November 21, Trump expanded on his stance, saying that he would order surveillance of "certain mosques" to combat Muslim terrorism after the Paris attacks, and recalled that he had watched as “thousands and thousands of people were cheering” while the World Trade Center towers fell on September 11, 2001, citing that as a reason to reinforce surveillance. Trump cited a Washington Post article from a week after 9/11 which detailed law enforcement detaining "a number of people" who were allegedly seen celebrating the attacks to support his claim. Most of the claims of celebrations rely on anecdotal evidence of small gatherings.

Trump has received widespread notoriety for proposing a temporary ban on foreign Muslims entering the United States (approximately 100,000 Muslim immigrants are admitted to the U.S. each year) until better security precautions are implemented. In response to the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, Trump released a statement on "Preventing Muslim Immigration" and called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on." Trump cited President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's World War II use of the Alien and Sedition Acts to issue presidential proclamations for rounding up, holding, and deporting Japanese, German, and Italian alien immigrants, then argued that Roosevelt was highly respected and had highways named after him. Trump stated that he did not agree with Roosevelt's internment of Japanese Americans, and clarified that the proposal would not apply to Muslims who were U.S. citizens or to Muslims who were serving in the US military. He later clarified that Muslims who were U.S. citizens or serving in the U.S. military would be let back into the United States. The measure proposed by Trump would be temporary, until better screening methods are devised, although the proposal has also been phrased in more controversial ways. This proposal gained considerable support among Republican voters, with 59% supporting such a ban in an ABC News/Washington Post survey. Support for such a proposal came to approximately 36% among the population as a whole according to another survey.

Reactions to comments on Muslims

The U.S. Pentagon issued a rare statement of concern, stating "anything that bolsters ISIL's narrative and pits the United States against the Muslim faith is certainly not only contrary to our values but contrary to our national security." The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, and the Prime Minister of France, Manuel Valls, both issued statements in response to Trump's press release condemning him. However, Geert Wilders, leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom in the Netherlands applauded his remarks calling them "brave" and "good for Europe". Among the European right wing, Nigel Farage of the UK Independence Party called it "perhaps a political mistake too far", and Marine Le Pen of the conservative French National Front separated herself from the idea. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, rejected Trump's proposal.

Trump was widely criticized by leading GOP figures, including Reince Priebus and Republican leaders in South Carolina and Iowa. A number of commentators and news outlets subsequently likened Trump to a fascist or Adolf Hitler. Other commentators and news outlets refuted the labels as obscene, with Gianni Riotta, saying, "I am dead sure: Trump is not a fascist. Using the label not only belittles past tragedies and obscures future dangers, but also indicts his supporters, who have real grievances that mainstream politicians ignore at their peril."

During the controversy regarding his comments, Trump alleged that "We have places in London and other places that are so radicalized that the police are afraid for their own lives." The Metropolitan Police, responsible for policing in London, responded by stating "we think it’s important to state to Londoners that Mr Trump could not be more wrong." Conservative Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, demanded an apology and described Trump's comments as "ill-informed" and "complete and utter nonsense." Several Metropolitan police officers backed Trump's claim; "Trump's not wrong; we can't wear uniform in our own cars."

Following Trump's controversial comments on Muslim immigration, a petition with the title "Block Donald J Trump from UK entry" was opened in the UK, on the Parliament's e-petition website, calling on the UK government's Home Office to ban him from entering the country. By 5:00 am on December 11, the total number of signatures exceeded 500,000, far above the threshold of 100,000 required for a Parliamentary debate. On January 18, the UK's House of Commons debated whether to ban Trump, but ended without a vote, as UK members of parliament did not have the power to enact such a ban. The three-hour long debate saw members on all sides of parliament describe Trump as "crazy" and "offensive".

LGBT issues

Trump has stated that he supports traditional marriage. Of the June 2015 Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, he said: "I would have preferred states, you know, making the decision and I let that be known. But they made the decision. ... So, at a certain point you have to be realistic about it." Gregory T. Angelo, the president of the Log Cabin Republicans (a pro-LGBT organization), described Trump as "one of the best, if not the best, pro-gay Republican candidates to ever run for the presidency."

Foreign policy

Trade

Trump believes the Trans-Pacific Partnership "should not be allowed to happen." On November 10, Trump released his plan on US-China relationship, calling for China to be called a currency manipulator and stop it from forcing intellectual property to be shared as a condition for joining the Chinese market.

Foreign affairs and national defense

Trump has stated his intention to provide presidential leadership with strong diplomacy to restore "respect" for the United States around the world and he supports a robust national defense. In his announcement speech he said that the U.S. is getting weaker as a country and that its nuclear arsenal is old and does not work, although he appeared to be unfamiliar with the term "nuclear triad" when asked by Hugh Hewitt in a December 2015 debate what specific improvements he would make. Trump opposed the 2003 Iraq War and has pointed to his opposition several times during the campaign. In his interview with O'Reilly, Trump claimed that he had a proven record in negotiating with foreign countries. "I've made a fortune with foreign countries." He argued that "[t]here's nobody bigger or better at the military than I am." During his speech at the Oklahoma State Fair he accused his opponents of wanting to "start World War III over Syria." Unlike his opponents he would not reveal his military strategies to the enemy. "I don't want them to know what I'm thinking, does that make sense? I want people to be guessing ... I don't want people to figure it out. I don't want people to know what my plan is. I have plans. I have plans! But I don't want to do it." Once elected he would find a "proper general", Patton or a McArthur who would "hit [ISIS] so hard your head would spin."

Trump said in a December 2015 rally, "We have to see Bill Gates and a lot of different people that really understand what's happening. We have to talk to them about, maybe in certain areas, closing that internet up in some ways. Somebody will say, 'Oh freedom of speech, freedom of speech.' These are foolish people." In the December Republican debate, Donald Trump said that the internet should be shut off to countries that have a majority of their territory controlled by terrorist organizations.

He said, "We Americans are laughed at around the world for losing a hundred and fifty billion dollars year after year, for defending wealthy nations for nothing, nations that would be wiped off the face of the earth in about 15 minutes if it weren’t for us. Our ‘allies’ are making billions screwing us." Trump has called for allied countries, including Japan, South Korea, Germany and Saudi Arabia, to pay the United States for helping protect their nations.

Interrogation

Trump has stated that he would re-instate waterboarding as an interrogation technique, and "a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding." When asked about his comments on CNN, Trump said, "They're chopping heads of Christians and many other people in the Middle East." Trump said, "They're chopping heads off. They laugh at us when they hear that we're not going to approve waterboarding ... It works, okay? It works. Only a stupid person would say it doesn't work."

Iran

If elected, Trump says he would prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. In an interview with NBC News in Charlottesville, Virginia, on July 14, 2015, Trump called the newly announced nuclear deal with Iran "terrible", saying that the president negotiated the agreement "from desperation". He added, "I don't understand the president. He dealt from desperation, and he shouldn't have been desperate." He further stated, "First of all, we're giving them billions of dollars in this deal, which we shouldn't have given them. We should have kept the money", in reference to the sanctions relief for Iran under the deal, which was negotiated by Iran and six world powers led by the United States. "Second of all, we have four prisoners over there. We should have said 'Let the prisoners out.' They shouldn't be over there." Trump also said that any deal should stipulate that inspectors have 24-hour-a-day access immediately to all nuclear sites. On September 2, 2015, Trump told CNN he believed the Iran deal would compel the U.S. to side with Iran in the event of war: "There’s something in the Iran deal that people I don’t think really understand or know about, and nobody’s able to explain it, that if somebody attacks Iran, we have to come to their defense", he said. "So if Israel attacks Iran, according to that deal, I believe the way it reads [...] that we have to fight with Iran against Israel." Trump has said that despite opposing the content of the deal, as President he would seek to enforce it rather than repeal it.

When questioned on his "new deal with Iran" Trump responded that "Iran is doing nuclear. They're going nuclear." He would "put on the sanctions big league. I'd double and triple up the sanctions and make a deal from strength." According to Trump, nuclear weapons, not global warming, is America's biggest problem.

Iraq

Trump strongly opposed the Iraq War (2003-2011) arguing that Iran "[would] take over and it would totally destabilize the Middle East." This has been an important talking point during his campaign. In his 2004 interview published in Esquire Trump described the war as a "mess" and questioned the credibility of Iraq ever becoming a "wonderful democracy where people are going to run down to the voting box and gently put in their ballot and the winner is happily going to step up to lead the county?" He predicted that "[t]wo minutes after we leave, there's going to be a revolution, and the meanest, toughest, smartest, most vicious guy will take over." He argued that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction but the leader who followed him would have them. In 2015 when asked how he would deal with Iraq's condemnation of strikes on their oil fields, Trump replied that Iraq is a corrupt country that is not deserving of his respect.

ISIS

ISIS or ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, is a Salafi jihadist militant group that follows an Islamic fundamentalist, Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam Trump has described his plans for dealing with ISIS in several debates and interviews. In December 2015, he said:

"The other thing with the terrorists is you have to take out their families, when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families. They care about their lives, don't kid yourself. When they say they don't care about their lives, you have to take out their families."

— Donald Trump, 2 December 2015

On December 9, 2015, Jonathan Russell, Head of Policy for the anti-radicalization think tank Quilliam, warned that Trump's "anti-Muslim rhetoric" helps ISIS's narrative, saying "Trump will contribute to Islamist radicalization as his comments will make Muslims feel unwelcome in America. This grievance will fuel their identity crisis, which when combined are a potent combination for the vulnerability that ISIS is so adept at exploiting with their Islamist narrative."

Trump has said that he would "bomb the hell" out of Iraqi oil fields controlled by ISIS. Trump has called for the reintroduction of waterboarding and "a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding" on captured prisoners, which would contravene international law under the United Nations Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Conventions. In an interview, Trump stated "We’re going to have to do what Israel was doing for a period of time. 'Take out' means you have to wipe out their homes where they came from." Intentionally targeting non-combatants is a violation of the Geneva Convention and other aspects of the international law of war. In the aftermath of the November 2015 attacks on Paris by ISIS, Trump reiterated his statements about ISIS from November 12, 2015, when he stated he would "bomb the shit out of 'em" and said "I'd blow up the [oil] pipes, I'd blow up the refineries, and you know what, you'll get Exxon to come in there in two months... and I'd take the oil." Trump said in an interview with Anderson Cooper "There is no Iraq. Their leaders are corrupt." Retired Army Chief of Staff, General Ray Odierno, characterized Trump's strategy as "rather simplistic and shortsighted".

In a February 2016 debate, Trump said "in the Middle East, we have people chopping the heads off Christians, we have people chopping the heads off many other people... I'd bring back waterboarding and I'd bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding."

Libya

Trump believes the 2011 military intervention in Libya was a mistake, saying that Libya was better off under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi because of the current Libyan civil war and rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

North Korea

Trump has advocated for greater pressure on China, including through restrictions on trade, to rein in its ally North Korea in the wake of the 2016 North Korea nuclear test. He has described North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un as a "maniac", although he has also claimed that Kim Jong-un deserves "credit" for being able to overcome his rivals in order succeed his father.

South Asia

Trump has been critical of United States' major non-NATO ally Pakistan, comparing the country to North Korea, describing it as "probably the most dangerous country" in the world and claiming the country's nuclear weapons posed a "serious problem." He has advocated improving relations with India as a "check" to Pakistan.

Syria

Trump's first post-announcement interview on June 17, 2015, was with Bill O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor. One of several issues he highlighted was his proposed strategy in dealing with the Syrian Civil War. He observed that while Syria was supposed to be America's enemy he felt that Bashar al-Assad "looks a lot better than some of our so-called friends." Instead of fighting ISIS in Syria, Trump would cut off ISIS' access to capital by bombing the oil fields that ISIS controls while letting Iran and Russia protect Syria. He suggests, "It's really rather amazing, maybe Syria should be a free zone for ISIS, let them fight and then you pick up the remnants."

In the fourth Republican debate on November 10, 2015, Trump said he "got to know [ Vladimir Putin ] very well because we were both on '60 Minutes', we were stable mates, we did well that night." Trump said he approved of Russia's intervention in Syria, stating: "If Putin wants to knock the hell out of ISIS, I’m all for it 100 percent and I can’t understand how anybody would be against that ... He‘s going in and we can go in and everybody should go in."

Trump opposes allowing Syrian refugees into the US, saying they could be the "ultimate trojan horse", and supports returning the ones brought in under the Obama administration back to Syria. He favors a database of the refugees as well. In September 2015 Trump had praised Germany’s decision to take in Syrian refugees and he also believed that the United States should take in some refugees from Syria.

Ukraine

In July 2015 Trump opposed U.S. involvement in the Ukrainian crisis, describing the Crimea as "Europe's problem." In August 2015 Trump stated he "did not care" about Ukrainian NATO-membership. Trump believes good relations with Russia are essential as a means of preventing Russia and China from being driven closer together.

Speaking to the Yalta European Strategy conference in September 2015, Trump criticized Germany and other European countries for not doing enough to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and he claimed Ukrainians are "not being treated right."

Endorsements

See also: Endorsements for the Republican Party presidential primaries, 2016

List of Donald Trump endorsements

See also

• Republican Party presidential primaries, 2016
• Republican Party presidential candidates, 2016
• Republican Party presidential debates, 2016

Further reading

• Borchers, Callum (December 21, 2015). "Let's stop freaking out about MSNBC's Donald Trump documentary". Washington Post.
• Irvine, Don (December 22, 2015). "MSNBC Hoping for Ratings Gold with Tonight's "Citizen Trump" Documentary". Accuracy in Media.

External links

• Official website
• Donald Trump Presidential Campaign Announcement, - C-SPAN, June 16, 2015