Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

Donald Trump for President 2016
Campaign2016 Republican primaries
2016 U.S. presidential election
CandidateDonald Trump
Chairman of The Trump Organization
(1971–2017)
Mike Pence
50th Governor of Indiana
(2013–2017)[1]
AffiliationRepublican Party
Status
  • Announced: June 16, 2015
  • Presumptive nomination: May 3, 2016
  • Secured nomination: May 26, 2016
  • Official nominee: July 19, 2016
  • Won election: November 8, 2016
  • Inaugurated: January 20, 2017
HeadquartersTrump Tower,
Manhattan, New York[2]
Key peopleSteve Bannon (Chief executive)
Kellyanne Conway (Campaign manager)
David Bossie (Deputy campaign manager)
Michael Glassner (campaign manager)
Jason Miller (Communications director)
Katrina Pierson (National spokesperson)
Hope Hicks (Press secretary)
Dan Scavino (Director of social media)
Ben Carson (VP Selection Committee Leader)
Jeff Sessions (Chairman of National Security Committee)
Michael Flynn (Military Advisor)
Omarosa Manigault (Director of African American Outreach)
Tony Fabrizio (Pollster)[3]
Rudy Giuliani (Senior Advisor)
David Urban (Senior Advisor)[4]
Chris Christie (White House Transition Chairman)[5]
Bill Palatucci (White House Transition Coordinator)
Michael Cohen (Special Counsel)
Arthur Culvahouse (VP Vetter)
Sam Clovis (National Co-chair)[6]
Brad Parscale (Digital director) Steven Cheung (Rapid Response Director)[7]
Roger Ailes (Debate Advisor)[8]
Boris Epshteyn (Senior Advisor)[9]
Anthony Scaramucci (Finance Committee)[10]
George Papadopoulos (Foreign Policy Advisor)[11]
Patrick Caddell (adviser)[12][13][14]
Corey Lewandowski (Campaign manager; left campaign on June 20, 2016)
Roger Stone (Political adviser; left campaign on August 8, 2015)
Sam Nunberg (Political adviser; left campaign on August 3, 2015)[15]
Paul Manafort (Campaign chairman; left campaign on August 19, 2016)
Rick Gates (Deputy Campaign Chairman; left campaign in August 2016)
Michael Caputo (Head of Communications; left campaign on June 20, 2016)[16]
Carter Page (Foreign Policy Advisor; left campaign on September 24, 2016)[17]
ReceiptsUS$350,668,435.70[18] (December 31, 2016)
SloganMake America Great Again
Lock Her Up
Build the wall
Make America One Again
Make America Proud Again
Make America Safe Again
Make America Strong Again
Make America Work Again
Make Manufacturing Great Again
The Silent Majority Stands with Trump
Trump Digs Coal
Chant
Website
www.donaldjtrump.com
(archived 29 June 2015)
This article is part of
a series about
Donald Trump
Business and personal
45th & 47th President of the
United States
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Donald Trump's signature
Seal of the President of the United States

The 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump was formally launched on June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York City. Trump was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election, having won the most state primaries, caucuses, and delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention.[19] He chose Mike Pence, the sitting governor of Indiana, as his vice presidential running mate. On November 8, 2016, Trump and Pence were elected president and vice president of the United States. Trump's populist[20][21] positions in opposition to illegal immigration and various trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership,[22][23][24][25] earned him support especially among voters who were male, white,[26] blue-collar, working class, and those without college degrees.[27][28] Many voters in the Rust Belt, who gave Trump the electoral votes needed to win the presidency, switched from supporting Bernie Sanders to Trump after Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination.[29][30]

Many of Trump's remarks were controversial and helped his campaign garner extensive coverage by the mainstream media, trending topics, and social media.[31][32] Trump's campaign rallies attracted large crowds as well as public controversy. Some of the events were marked by incidents of violence between Trump supporters and protesters, mistreatment of some journalists, and disruption by a large group of protesters who effectively shut down a major rally in Chicago. Trump himself was accused[33] of inciting violence at his rallies.[34][35][36]

Trump's disdain for political correctness was a staple theme of his campaign and proved popular among his supporters.[37] Many, including some mainstream commentators and some prominent Republicans, viewed him as appealing to racism,[38] a charge that Trump repeatedly denied.[39] Trump's most polarizing and widely reported proposals were about issues of immigration and border security, especially his proposed deportation of all illegal immigrants, the proposed construction of a substantial wall on the Mexico–United States border at Mexican expense, his characterizations of many illegal Mexican immigrants as "criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc",[40][41][42][43] and a temporary ban on foreign Muslims entering the U.S. After considerable backlash, he later modified the "Trump travel ban" to apply to people originating from countries which he described as having a history of terrorism against the United States or its allies.[44][45] This was also criticized for excluding countries which the U.S. has significant financial ties with, such as Saudi Arabia.[46][47]

Opposition to Trump grew during his campaign among both Republicans (who viewed Trump as irrevocably damaging to the party and its chances of winning elections during and after 2016, leading to the coalescence of the Stop Trump movement) and Democrats (who decried Trump's anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim policies, his behavior toward critics, his treatment of the media, and his support from the ethno-nationalist alt-right). Although some prominent Republican leaders declined to endorse Trump after he won the Republican nomination,[48][49] many Republican congress-members showed support for Trump and his policy positions despite major personal or political conflicts with him.[50] Some such supporters of Trump's campaign were accused, by both conservatives and liberals, of prioritizing party loyalty and avoiding alienation of Trump supporters to ensure re-election, thereby refraining from condemning Trump's actions.[51][52]

On January 6, 2017, the United States government's intelligence agencies concluded that the Russian government interfered in the United States elections against the campaign of Clinton and in support of Trump.[53][54] As president, Trump repeatedly rejected the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence agencies.[55][56]

2016 U.S. presidential election
Republican Party
Democratic Party
Third parties
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  1. ^ Bradner, Eric; Bash, Dana; Lee, MJ (July 14, 2016). "Donald Trump selects Mike Pence as VP". CNN. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  2. ^ Flegenheimer, Matt; Haberman, Maggie (March 29, 2016). "With the New York Presidential Primary, the Circus Is Coming Home". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  3. ^ "Trump campaign hires veteran GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "Prominent GOP lobbyist joins Trump forces in Pennsylvania". Politico. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  5. ^ "Chris Christie dropped as head of Trump's White House transition team". The Guardian. November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  6. ^ "The Sam Clovis factor: Scientist? No. Skilled in the science of influencing Trump? Yes". Politico.
  7. ^ "Trump hires rapid response director from Ultimate Fighting Championship". Politico. July 11, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  8. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Parker, Ashley (August 16, 2016). "Roger Ailes Is Advising Donald Trump Ahead of Presidential Debates". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Meier, Barry; Craig, Susanne (October 13, 2016). "The Obscure Lawyer Who Became Donald Trump's TV Attack Dog". The New York Times.
  10. ^ "Anthony Scaramucci, a top Republican fundraiser, signs on with Trump campaign". The Washington Post.
  11. ^ "One of Trump's foreign policy advisers is a 2009 college grad who lists Model UN as a credential". The Washington Post.
  12. ^ "The Man Who Predicted The Rise Of Donald Trump — In 1976". BuzzFeed News. February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "The Reclusive Hedge-Fund Tycoon Behind the Trump Presidency". The New Yorker. March 17, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  14. ^ ""Don't pay any attention to the exit polls. It's breaking Trump's way." – Patrick Caddell". PR Newswire. November 17, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  15. ^ "Trump campaign fires staffer over Facebook posts". CNN. August 2, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  16. ^ "Trump adviser resigns after mocking Lewandowski on Twitter". CNN. June 20, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  17. ^ "Trump camp backs away from adviser suspected of Kremlin ties". The Hill.
  18. ^ "Candidate (P80001571) Summary Reports—2016 Cycle". Federal Election Commission. December 31, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  19. ^ Alberta, Tim (July 19, 2016). "Trump Clinches Nomination in Cleveland". National Review. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  20. ^ Kazin, Michael (March 22, 2016). "How Can Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders Both Be 'Populist'?". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  21. ^ Becker, Bernie (February 13, 2016). "Trump's 6 populist positions". Politico. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "How Trump Exposed the Tea Party". Politico Magazine. For years the Republican elite has gotten away with promoting policies about trade and entitlements that are the exact opposites of the policies favored by much of their electoral base. Populist conservatives who want to end illegal immigration, tax the rich, protect Social Security and Medicare, and fight fewer foreign wars have been there all along. It's just that mainstream pundits and journalists, searching for a libertarian right more to their liking (and comprehension), refused to see them before the Summer of Trump.
  23. ^ Liasson, Mara (September 4, 2015). "Nativism and Economic Anxiety Fuel Trump's Populist Appeal". NPR.org.
  24. ^ Chris Lehmann (August 22, 2015). "Donald Trump and the Long Tradition of American Populism". Newsweek.
  25. ^ Ben Jacobs (October 13, 2015). "The Donald Trump doctrine: 'Assad is bad' but US must stop 'nation-building'". The Guardian.
  26. ^ McGill, Andrew (September 2016). "The Trump Bloc". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  27. ^ Noah, Timothy (March 8, 2016). "Will Blue-Collar Dems Run to Trump? Fuhgeddaboudit!". Politico. Donald Trump's strong primary showing among blue-collar voters is prompting speculation...
  28. ^ Philip Bump (December 4, 2015). "Why Donald Trump's big advantage among those without college degrees is important". The Washington Post.
  29. ^ "Analysis | Did enough Bernie Sanders supporters vote for Trump to cost Clinton the election?". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  30. ^ Stein, Jeff (August 24, 2017). "The Bernie voters who defected to Trump, explained by a political scientist". Vox. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  31. ^ Steinmetz, Katy (July 27, 2016). "Trump's Comments Make Dictionary Lookups for 'Treason' Spike". Time. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  32. ^ "Trending: After Trump Called On Russia To Find Clinton's Emails, A Surge In Lookups For 'Treason'". merriam-webster.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  33. ^ Tiefenthaler, Ainara (March 14, 2016). "Trump's History of Encouraging Violence". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  34. ^ Nguyen, Tina (March 11, 2016). "Donald Trump's Rallies Are Becoming Increasingly Violent". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  35. ^ Jacobs, Ben (March 11, 2016). "Trump campaign dogged by violent incidents at rallies". The Guardian. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  36. ^ Frere, Eileen (April 29, 2016). "Injured Trump Supporter Details Frightening Attack by Protesters". ABC 7. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  37. ^ Itkowitz, Colby (December 9, 2015). "Donald Trump says we're all too politically correct. But is that also a way to limit speech?". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  38. ^ For prominent Republicans, see Steinhauer, Jennifer; Martin, Jonathan; Herszenhorn, David (June 7, 2016). "Paul Ryan Calls Donald Trump's Attack on Judge 'Racist', but Still Backs Him". The New York Times.
  39. ^ Kristof, Nicholas (July 23, 2016). "Is Donald Trump a Racist?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  40. ^ "Donald Trump takes on Clinton, Bush and the Pope". CNN. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  41. ^ Thompson, Mark (June 15, 2016). "What Does the Military Think of Trump?".
  42. ^ "Gen. Allen Says Trump Could Cause 'Civil Military Crisis'". ABC News. August 1, 2016.
  43. ^ See:
  44. ^ "Donald J. Trump Statement On Preventing Muslim Immigration". donaldjtrump.com. December 7, 2015. Archived from the original (Press Release) on May 8, 2017.
  45. ^ Detrow, Scott (June 13, 2016). "Trump Calls To Ban Immigration From Countries With 'Proven History Of Terrorism'". NPR. 'I will suspend immigration from areas of the world where there's a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies until we fully understand how to end these threats.'
  46. ^ "Look Who's Not in Trump's Travel Ban". Bloomberg. June 26, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  47. ^ "Trump's Immigration Ban Excludes Countries With Business Ties". Bloomberg. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  48. ^ David A. Graham (November 6, 2016). "Which Republicans Oppose Donald Trump? A Cheat Sheet". The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  49. ^ Adam Shaw (February 22, 2017). "Trump facing revived criticism from GOP ranks, ahead of high-stakes address". Fox News. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  50. ^ Alex Isenstadt (April 22, 2016). "Stop Trump movement goes to work on GOP leaders". Politico. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  51. ^ Liptak, Kevin (October 13, 2016). "Obama on Republicans disavowing Trump: Too little, too late". CNN. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  52. ^ Detrow, Scott (August 1, 2016). "GOP Criticism Mounts As Trump Continues Attacks On Khan Family". NPR. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  53. ^ Miller, Greg; Entous, Adam (January 6, 2017). "Declassified report says Putin 'ordered' effort to undermine faith in U.S. election and help Trump". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  54. ^ "Intelligence Report on Russian Hacking". The New York Times. January 6, 2017. p. 11. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  55. ^ Greenberg, Jon (February 19, 2018). "Donald Trump falsely says he never denied Russian meddling". PolitiFact. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  56. ^ Todd, Chuck; Murray, Mark; Dann, Carrie (July 2, 2018). "Trump continues to deny Russia interfered in 2016. Here's why that's a problem". NBC News. Retrieved February 4, 2021.