Real estate tycoon Donald Trump is flirting with the idea of taking a run at the Oval Office, announcing the formation of a presidential exploratory committee.
"Americans deserve better than what they get from their politicians," Trump said in a statement released Wednesday. "I have built a great company, created thousands of jobs and built a tremendous net worth with some of the finest and most prestigious assets in the world - and very little debt!"
THE DONALD J. TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE-https://t.co/WARAdFgrrF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2015
This will be Trump's second exploratory committee; he launched one ahead of the 2000 election, but never actually challenged eventual winner George W. Bush.
In 2013, Trump spend more than $1 million researching a potential presidential bid. While forming an exploratory committee is a step forward, it isn't one other candidates; many who depend on PAC's, super PAC's, and 527's for campaign funds.
The difference between an exploratory committee and a PAC is that exploratory committees must abide by federal campaign contribution limits, something Trump may be avoiding if he's not seriously contending. Super PAC's aren't held to the same standard and can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money.
The investment mogul and television personality notified NBC Entertainment that he would not return to his long-running primetime hit "The Apprentice," though an NBC source has since confirmed the show would return for another season. As Politico's Dylan Byers put it, this may be the networks way of suggesting Trump's campaign is a ruse.
Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Holly Shulman issued a brief video statement summing up her party's stance on Trump's entrance into the race. In it, she links to "Everything is Awesome," the Oscar-nominated song from "The LEGO Movie."
Wednesday afternoon, Shulman posted the song title on her personal Twitter page Wednesday afternoon, sarcastically reaffirming Trump's declaration:
Psyched! MT @TheLastWord: .@realDonaldTrump says it's for real this time. No, really you guys. https://t.co/lwCMWaRWGo #lastword — Holly Shulman (@HollyShulman) March 18, 2015
Shulman made a point of noting some of Trump's more controversial statements: comments made about sexual assault in the military, opposing to immigration reform, and repeatedly questioning President Barack Obama's birthplace. In February, Trump told a Maryland group of conservatives that he's still not convinced the President's birth certificate is real.
Trump took credit for The White House released Obama's birth certificate in 2011.
Trump's outlandish comments are what GOP strategists fear from a presidential run. His announcement comes on the two-year anniversary of the party's 2012 autopsy which encouraged Republicans to expand their voter base. A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found 74 percent of GOP primary voters can't see themselves supporting a Trump campaign.
"I am the only one who can make America truly great again!" Trump said in his statement. He travels to New Hampshire on Thursday to meet with veterans and local business owners.
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