Overview

• On June 16, 2015, Trump rode down the golden escalator at Trump Tower to formally launch his White House campaign, marking the start of an unlikely bid.
• Major news outlets initially dismissed his campaign as a sideshow, with CNN’s S.E. Cupp calling the speech a “rambling mess” and NBC’s Savannah Guthrie questioning whether it was a serious bid.
• Late-night hosts including Jon Stewart and correspondents Jordan Klepper and Hasan Minhaj reacted with satirical glee, treating the launch as entertainment fodder.
• Fact-checkers at outlets like The Washington Post flagged numerous inaccuracies in Trump’s kickoff remarks, labeling much of the speech as “nonsense.”
• Despite early skepticism, Trump secured the 2016 GOP nomination, won the presidency, lost in 2020 and reclaimed the White House in 2024 as only the second U.S. president to win non-consecutive terms.