Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and property tycoon Donald Trump, one of America’s most flamboyant and outspoken billionaires, have announced that they are running for the White House.
“I will take nothing and no one for granted,” the 62-year-old Bush, a son and brother of two ex-presidents, told a crowd of supporters at a university in Miami. “I will run with heart. I will run to win.”
Bush jumped headlong into the presidential race Monday, insisting “America deserves better” after eight years of Barack Obama, as the Republican seeks to win over votes skeptical of his political pedigree.
Following a lengthy exploration of a White House bid, Bush made his formal announcement at Miami Dade College, a diverse university chosen to signal that he aims to run an inclusive 2016 campaign.
“I have decided. I am a candidate for president of the United States,” he said. As the crowd roared, a relieved Bush uttered: “Whooo!”
While he is the son and brother of two former presidents, Bush highlighted his own political vision and his two terms as governor of Florida.
Meanwhile in a speech delivered from Trump Tower on New York’s Fifth Avenue, Donald Trump said, “I am officially running for president of the United States and we are going to make our country great again,” he said.
The 69-year-old is considered a wildcard candidate in an increasingly crowded pool of contenders seeking the presidency in 2016.
Denouncing US foreign and economic policy, Trump ridiculed America’s current crop of politicians and vowed to reverse what he called US decline.
“Our country is in serious trouble. We don’t have victories anymore,” he said. “When was the last time anyone saw us beating, let’s say, China in a trade deal. They kill us. I beat China all the time.”
“When did we beat Japan at anything? They send their cars over by the millions and what do we do?”
The businessman, whom Forbes values at $4.1 billion, said “the United States has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems.”