WASHINGTON
— With a presidential field approaching 20 high-profile Republicans,
the GOP's 2016 class offers voters a little bit of everything.
There
is the top-tier, a group that includes former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush,
who formally launched his candidacy on Monday. There are the
single-issue candidates such as South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who
talks about national security and little else. There are even the
quixotic underdogs, such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, ambitious
against all odds.
And then there is Donald Trump.
The
Donald, as he is known as a celebrity, will announce his 2016
intentions on Tuesday at a Manhattan skyscraper that bears his name.
He
is a businessman, a reality television star and a master of
self-promotion. And should he decide to run, Trump is positioned to have
a greater impact on the early months of the Republican presidential
primary contest than many GOP leaders would like.
Should
he get in, Trump would be required to release a personal financial
disclosure that would reveal intimate details about his personal
finances. The disclosure would include his net worth, sources of income,
liabilities and assets. He would have to reveal the same information
for his wife and dependent children.
Trump
is ready to do so. On Tuesday, he will share details about his personal
finances that reveal a net worth of $9 billion, according to a person
close to his potential campaign who spoke on the condition of anonymity
so as not to pre-empt the announcement.
The
financial disclosure, required of all candidates for president, was
thought to be the final obstacle blocking Trump from launching a 2016
campaign.
Based
on guidelines recently announced by the television networks, Trump
could play a prominent role in the upcoming nationally televised
Republican debate in August.
Those
who rank in the top 10 in national polls — and Trump currently does,
although he's close to the bottom — will earn a place on the debate
stage. That could place Trump in a debate alongside leading candidates
such as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Bush.
"Selfishly,
the networks would put me on because I get great ratings," Trump said
in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
Trump has teased presidential runs before, and always backed out. But there are signs that he's more serious this time around.
After
forming a presidential exploratory committee in March, Trump says he
has hired political operatives on the ground in Iowa, New Hampshire and
South Carolina. He has also been a frequent visitor to the early voting
states in recent months.
Perhaps
most significantly, he said he would not renew his contract with NBC
for his reality show, "The Apprentice." He cannot appear on the network
and run for president at the same time.
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