Beyond a glowing 2007 profile of Donald Trump in the school's alumni magazine, Wharton has not made any official statement about Trump, who now leads the Republican presidential field by a wide margin. (Photo by Gage Skidmore | CC BY-SA 2.0)
Wharton School‘68 alumnus Donald Trump believes that he is “the only one who can make America truly great again,” according to a statement announcing his creation of an exploratory committee for the 2016 presidential election. The high-profile real estate investor and co-producer and host of the NBC show “The Apprentice” has previously expressed interest in the presidency three times since 1999.
This time, Trump says he is more invested in the possibility of candidacy than ever, though he also made this claim in 2011. He said in the statement that he has hired staff in key primary states, including New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa, in addition to his current political advisors in New York.
Last month, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, Trump responded to speculation that he is only expressing interest in the presidency to increase recognition for his businesses. “I’m not doing this for fun,” he said. “I’m doing this because we have to take our country back.”
But even if he chooses to run, a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll suggests he will not have the backing of his own party. About three-quarters of Republican primary voters said they could not envision themselves voting for Trump in the upcoming election, making him the least-supported Republican candidate should he choose to run.
Trump has supported some policies that are popularly opposed by most conservatives. In the past, he’s favored federal single-payer healthcare and a 14.25 percent net worth tax on citizens valued at over $10 million to make up for the federal debt.
In his statement on March 18, Trump cited his business success and debt management, and said he would focus on job creation by hardening policies toward China, which he said manipulates its currency.
Trump’s special counsel, Michael Cohen, told Time Magazine that Trump has not yet renewed his contract for “The Celebrity Apprentice” and has travel plans for the next three months to speak in primary states. Cohen said details on the exploratory committee will soon be available.
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