Susan Page, USA TODAY
USA TODAY's Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page explains the four reasons why Donald Trump is worth watching for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. (USA NEWS, USA TODAY)
This time, Donald Trump says, he really is running.
The real-estate magnate and reality TV star — who has toyed with presidential campaigns before — announced Tuesday that he would seek the Republican nomination for president in 2016.
"Sadly the American dream is dead," Trump declared. "But if I get elected president, I will bring it back, bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again."
Trump made the announcement at Trump Tower in New York, descending on a escalator to stand at the podium before a backdrop of American flags. He portrayed himself as a tough negotiator and entrepreneur who can succeed where political leaders have failed.
"Our country is in serious trouble," he told them in a rambling address that ranged from the threat from ISIS to the value of fracking to the recent prison escape in New York. "We don't have victories any more. ... 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."
A man in the audience shouted, "We need Trump now!" Nodding, Trump responded, "Right."
That said, it's hard to find a political analyst who sees Trump as a credible contender for the Republican nomination.
"We need someone who can take the brand of the United States and make it great again," real-estate investor and television personality Donald Trump says at event in New York City where he announced his presidential campaign. Bloomberg
Nathan Gonzales, editor of nonpartisan Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, called him an unwelcome distraction for the GOP.
"It's a big headache for the Republican Party," he said. "Donald Trump is not going to be the Republican nominee for president. Any time that he consumes on the debate stage and in the media is time he's taking away from a legitimate contender."
He is likely to be on the debate stage. Fox News, sponsor of the first sanctioned debate, says it will be limited to candidates in the top 10 of polls. At the moment, Trump ranks ninth in the GOP field, according to the RealClearPolitics rolling average of polls.
In contrast, neither Ohio Gov. John Kasich nor South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham now make the cut.
The Democratic National Committee welcomed Trump to the race. "Today, Donald Trump became the second major Republican candidate to announce for president in two days," press secretary Holly Shulman said in a tongue-in-cheek email sent to reporters as Trump was speaking. "He adds some much-needed seriousness that has previously been lacking from the GOP field, and we look forward hearing more about his ideas for the nation."
Trump released a financial statement that showed up him with net assets of nearly $9 billion, and he said he would file the required disclosure statements with the Federal Election Commission within the next 30 days. "We don't need extensions or anything," he said. "We'll be filing on time."
This was not the first time Trump has suggested he might seek the presidency. Not even close.
But the host of television's The Apprentice (and Celebrity Apprentice) made moves this year that suggested he was serious about moving forward with a White House bid. In March, he announced he was forming a presidential exploratory committee. In May, he announced a leadership team in New Hampshire, which hosts the first presidential primary.
And he's scheduled to fly to Iowa, which hosts the first caucus, after Tuesday's announcement.
Trump, 69, has hinted at presidential bids several times before over the span of multiple decades, including, most recently, during the 2012 campaign, before ultimately opting against it.
Now that he's in, it's safe to predict he won't be pulling many punches with his rivals.
Trump has been an outspoken critic of President Obama and was perhaps the most prominent voice of the "birther" movement, which asserted, erroneously, that Obama was not a natural-born U.S. citizen.
On Monday, he took a shot at the newest entrant to the 2016 Republican field, Jeb Bush , tweeting: "Do we really need another Bush in the White House — we have had enough of them."
If there's one thing Trump brings to the 2016 campaign, it's confidence.
"I'm the most successful person ever to run for the presidency, by far," he told The Des Moines Register in a recent interview.
Contributing: Cooper Allen and Fredreka Schouten
Follow @SusanPage on Twitter
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