Donald Trump: I’m running for president

Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump has declared that he seeks the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

"Our country needs a truly great leader, and we need a truly great leader now," he said on Tuesday.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again -- it can happen,” he added.

The reality-TV star made the announcement at Trump Tower in New York.

'I'm really rich'

He touted his success as a businessman and said that is what the United States needs. “I’m really rich…that’s the kind of thinking you need for this country. It sounds crass, it’s not crass.”

Trump, 69, has been a vocal critic of President Barack Obama and was one of the key voices of the so-called birther movement, which claimed Obama was not a natural-born US citizen.

He has hinted at presidential bids several times before, including most recently during the 2012 cycle.

The 2016 presidential race has attracted the most diverse field of candidates in recent memories.

Trump became the twelfth Republican to launch a presidential campaign.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush officially entered the race on Monday to win the Republican nomination.

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton is the frontrunner on the Democratic side, with no current close competition.

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