Trump officially files to run for president

Donald Trump officially filed papers to run for the White House on Monday, cementing his entry into the 2016 field.

“I am pleased to submit this filing to the Federal Election Commission [FEC], formalizing my campaign for President of the United States,” Trump said in a statement. “I can rebuild the American Dream so that it is stronger, bigger and better than ever before. Together we will Make America Great Again!”

{mosads}Trump has regularly flirted with Oval Office bids, so his decision to jump in had been met with initial skepticism, with some believing he might not ever file.

While he officially declared his candidacy in a speech last Tuesday, he had an additional 15 days to file papers with the FEC. Now that he’s filed, he has another month to file more financial disclosures and income statements to the commission.

During last week’s announcement speech, Trump touted his immense fortune, chiding those who may have under-reported his wealth. He said that his total net worth is more than $8.7 billion and pushed back at the idea that he’d stall with his election paperwork.

“Everything will be filed eventually with the government, and we don’t need extensions or anything. We’ll be filing it right on time,” he said at his announcement.

Trump also alluded to the idea that one of his main reasons for running was to have the FEC independently certify his wealth.

“I’m a private company, so nobody knows what I’m worth. And the one thing is that when you run, you have to announce and certify to all sorts of governmental authorities your net worth,” he said last Tuesday, adding that he’s seen a lot of television pundits say he’d never run because he’s probably not as successful as he says he is.

“So I said to myself, you know, nobody’s ever going to know unless I run, because I’m really proud of my success. I really am,” Trump said.

It’s normal for candidates not to file immediately after their announcements. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) filed his paperwork on June 19, exactly 15 days after he announced a bid. On the other hand, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), who announced just one day before Trump, filed his paperwork that same day.