Trump brings his brand to GOP field

Donald Trump ended years of flirting with presidential politics on Tuesday by descending an escalator at his eponymous Trump Tower in New York City to announce he will run for the White House.

The business mogul then showed the braggadocio that has made him a reality TV king — but that also has some in the GOP worried he’ll be a sideshow in the Republican primary contest.

{mosads}“I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created, I tell you that,” Trump said in one of several memorable lines of a speech that tore into President Obama.

He also called an international trade deal under negotiation by Obama and endorsed by several of his Republican 2016 rivals “stupid,” boasted of his wall-building prowess in reference to the southern U.S. border, and said the American dream was dead, but he would give it new life.

“I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again,” Trump declared in front of a boisterous crowd that chanted, “We want Trump.”

“Our country needs a truly great leader, and we need a truly great leader now,” he added. “We need somebody who can take the brand of the United States and make it great again.”

Trump is the ultimate wild card in a crowded Republican field where a number of candidates are in danger of being pushed off the debate stage.

He flirted with running for the White House in 2012 but instead opted to stand aside for Mitt Romney.

The signs this year suggested he was more serious about entering the race, and Trump suggested Tuesday that he would self-fund his campaign, boasting of his wealth.

“I’m using my own money. I’m really rich,” Trump said.

He suggested he would run a campaign focused on his record as a global property developer, which is sure to come under scrutiny should he rise toward the top of the crowded GOP field. 

“All it takes is one candidate to say, ‘Mr. Trump, you’ve been in bankruptcy four times,’ ” Republican strategist David Payne said. “His business record has a lot of ups and downs.”

Trump currently sits ninth among potential Republican contenders in the RealClearPolitics polling average. In New Hampshire, he places fifth, beating New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Only 10 Republicans will be on stage when Fox News hosts the first debate of the cycle in August. And there is a good chance Trump could be there while rivals, such as former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) are left out.

Some Republicans attribute that to Trump’s name recognition among undecided voters. 

He has paid trips to early-voting states, such as Iowa and New Hampshire in recent months, regularly using a slogan “Trump — Making America Great Again!”

He’s also a celebrity who starred in NBC’s “The Apprentice” and “The Celebrity Apprentice.”

Trump has increasingly become a part of the political debate during Obama’s presidency, at one point dominating headlines with his demands that the president release a birth certificate proving he was born in the United States.

Moments like that have some in the GOP worried.

“It’s a circus. It’s not helpful to the party. It’s not helpful for the branding for what we’re trying to do,” GOP strategist Matt Mackowiak said. 

“There’s just so little substance when he speaks; it appears to be more of a reality show than truly a campaign with a real candidate,” Mackowiak, who writes for The Hill’s Contributors blog, added. 

The Democratic National Committee mocked Trump in a statement sent to reporters, referring to the businessman as “the second major Republican candidate to announce for president in two days.” Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush entered the race on Monday.

“He adds some much-needed seriousness that has previously been lacking from the GOP field, and we look forward to hearing more about his ideas for the nation,” spokeswoman Holly Shulman said.