- April 15, 2015 -
TRUMP: ‘I’m going to surprise a lot of people’ in 2016
Republican businessman Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee.
This step is the closest Trump has come to officially launching a White House bid, and, in a conversation with Business Insider on Wednesday, he suggested it should serve as notice to those who doubt he's seriously considering the 2016 race. He decided not to run in 2012 after a lengthy, public flirtation with the prospect.
"This time, I'm very far down the line, so we'll see what happens," Trump said. "I'm going to surprise a lot of people."
In fact, Trump pointed to his doubters as proof of the strength of his candidacy.
"I'm doing well in polls and people think I'm not running!" he said.
Now that Trump is one step from an official campaign launch, he said he would make a final decision by the summer.
"I would say June or July," Trump said, adding, "For an announcement one way or the other."
Establishing the committee will allow Trump to hire campaign staff and travel to early primary states.
"We have a big staff and a lot of other things, too," Trump said. "We have a staff of people in Iowa, South Carolina, and also, very importantly, in New Hampshire."
