Businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump launched a bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday, swinging away at two presidential candidates from Florida who are also running for the Republican nod: former Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
While he flirted with running for president before, including for the Reform Party nomination in 2000 and the Republican nomination in 2012, Trump announced on Tuesday morning that he is running for the Republican presidential nomination and called for the “right people” to lead the nation.
“This will be an election, in my opinion, based on competence,” Trump said, hitting politicians for failing to stand up to Mexico and China and making a hash of the Middle East. Pointing to his record in the private sector, Trump insisted he had the right background, including in negotiating, to deal with the country’s economic and foreign affairs problems.
Trump also went on the attack, noting that GOP rivals former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., had problems providing an answer on how they would have handled Iraq had they been in George W. Bush’s shoes in 2003. Hoping to follow his father’s and brother’s paths to the White House, the former Florida governor entered the race on Monday.
“They don’t have a clue, they can’t lead us,” Trump said about Bush and Rubio, pointing to how they handled questions about the Iraq war. “They can’t answer a question.”
During his speech, Trump continued pounding Bush in the launch of his presidential bid. Calling Common Core a “disaster,” Trump ripped into Bush for supporting it.
“How the hell can you vote for this guy?” Trump asked before hitting Bush from the right.
“Bush is totally in favor of Common Core,” Trump said. “He is weak on immigration.”
Trump insisted he would take care of border security by building a giant wall on the Mexican border, adding that he would get that Latin American nation to handle the expenses.
Facing more than 10 other candidates running for the Republican nomination, Trump did not call out any besides Bush and Rubio by name.
“They will never make America great again,” Trump said about his rivals. “They don’t have a chance.”
Pointing to his wealth, which totaled more than $8 billion, Trump said he was proud of having made so much, insisting his business background will help him turn the economy around.
“I will be the greatest jobs president God ever created,” Trump said.
The new candidate is scheduled to tour Iowa, home of the first presidential caucus, later in the week.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
