A Manhattan-based (and "golden-haired") real estate mogul, TV personality and now Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump is well-known for his outspoken opinions and unfailing self-confidence. In a speech announcing his campaign Tuesday, Trump made clear his belief that he was the man to return America to greatness. He announced plans to get tough on ISIS, get tough on the Chinese and build a great wall on America's southern border, to be paid for by Mexico. (For once unmentioned: Barack Obama's citizenship, which Trump has questioned publicly and vociferously in the past.)
Trump's gift of gab has helped make his NBC reality shows The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice wild successes, with the latter recently renewed, and Trump's unique delivery of the words "you're fired" has become part of his persona. Likewise, Trump's bellicose missives to the media and on Twitter—he admits he loves "provoking people"—have earned him sobriquets like "businessman bully" (The Daily News) and characterizations such as "garrulous" (The New York Times), "a symbol of cocky '80s wealth" (Newsweek), living "an existence unmolested by the rumbling of a soul" (The New Yorker) and the "anti-Lebron" (FiveThirtyEight).
Newsweek has collected a number of "Trumpisms," including excerpts from Tuesday's speech, that capture Trump's image as an eccentric real estate tycoon.
On His Accomplishments
"There is no one my age who has accomplished more," he bragged at 41. "Everyone can't be the best." —As quoted in the Newsweek cover story, "Trump: The Fall," June 18, 1990
"I'm the most successful person ever to run for the presidency, by far. Nobody's ever been more successful than me. I'm the most successful person ever to run. Ross Perot isn't successful like me. Romney—I have a Gucci store that's worth more than Romney." —In an interview with the Des Moines Register, June 2, 2015
"You want to know what total recognition is? I'll tell you how you know you've got it. When the Nigerians on the street corners who don't speak a word of English, who have no clue, who're selling watches for some guy in New Jersey—when you walk by and those guys say, 'Trump! Trump!' That's total recognition." —Speaking to Mark Singer forThe New Yorker, May 19, 1997
On His Popularity
"You know the funny thing? I don't get along with rich people. I get along with the middle-class and the poor people better than I get along with the rich people." —Trump told Good Morning America, 2011
"This is beyond anybody's expectations. There's been no crowd like this." —At his campaign announcement, June 16, 2015
"All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me—consciously or unconsciously. That's to be expected." —The Telegraph quoted Trump as saying in 2011
I would like to wish everyone, including all haters and losers (of which, sadly, there are many) a truly happy and enjoyable Memorial Day!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2015
On His Financial Ups and Downs
"The 1990s sure aren't anything like the 1980s." —As quoted in Newsweek, June 18, 1990
"We may have to end certain chapters with a question mark. We may have to end the whole book with a question mark." —On his book, Surviving at the Top, released during his financial troubles, as quoted in Newsweek, June 18, 1990
On Obama
"Obama does not like the issue of where he was born." —Trump told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an interview, May 2012
"Our weak president that kisses everybody's ass is in more wars than I've ever seen. He's in Libya. He's in Afghanistan. He's in Iraq. Nobody respects us…. Can I do worse? You're talking about me like I'm a warmonger." —The Daily News reports on Trump's interview on The O'Reilly Factor in 2011
"A certificate of live birth is not the same thing by any stretch of the imagination as a birth certificate." —Trump told ABC News in 2011
"Obama has no solutions. Obama has failed the country and its great citizens, and they don't like it when somebody such as myself speaks the truth about this—it hurts too much." —Trump told Newsmax, 2012
"We have a disaster called the big lie: Obamacare." —At his campaign announcement, June 16, 2016
Our great African American President hasn't exactly had a positive impact on the thugs who are so happily and openly destroying Baltimore!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2015
On Foreign Policy
"My big focus is China and OPEC and all of these countries that are just absolutely destroying the United States." —Trump told ABC News in an interview, 2011
China has "bridges that make the George Washington Bridge look like small potatoes." —At his campaign announcement, June 16, 2015
"I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall." —At his campaign announcement, June 16, 2015
"Nobody would be tougher on ISIS than Donald Trump. Nobody." —At his campaign announcement, June 16, 2015
Politicians are all talk and no action. Bush and Rubio couldn't answer simple question on Iraq. They will NEVER make America great again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2015
On His Personal Wealth
"That's one of the nice things. I mean, part of the beauty of me is that I'm very rich. So if I need $600 million, I can put $600 million myself. That's a huge advantage. I must tell you, that's a huge advantage over the other candidates." —Trump told Good Morning America, 2011
"I don't need anybody's money. It's nice...I'm really rich." —At his campaign announcement, June 16, 2015
On the Media
"I have found the press to be among the most dishonest institutions. I've never seen anything like it." —Politico reports on an appearance by Trump on Fox & Friends in May 2015
"Every time I turn on the news I see myself on television. I mean, I'm not looking for it. You know, I'm watching CNN, I'm watching MSNBC, I'm watching Fox, and it's all over the place. And it had a big impact." —In an interview with BuzzFeed, February 2014
"I think the thing I'm worst at is managing the press. The thing I'm best at is business and conceiving. The press portrays me as a wild flamethrower. In actuality, I think I'm much different from that. I think I'm totally inaccurately portrayed." —Speaking with Mark Singer for The New Yorker in May 1997
On Global Warming
This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps,and our GW scientists are stuck in ice
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2014
On Vaccines
I am being proven right about massive vaccinations—the doctors lied. Save our children & their future.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2014
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
