Trump plays his hand in Republican presidential stakes

Property tycoon and reality TV star Donald Trump has finally put his money where his mouth is, by declaring himself for the Republican presidential race.

The flamboyant billionaire has shown an interest in five previous elections but his announcement at Trump Tower in New York this morning is his first serious attempt.

Bragging on Twitter he will “make America great again,” he has never held political office but says his negotiating skills, business acumen and wealth all count in his favour.

He has come out fighting, too, by opposing Jeb Bush’s support for so-called “Common Core” national education standards and a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants.

Mr Bush announced his candidacy yesterday in an already crowded field of more than a dozen candidates. They include four sitting state governors, four senators and three former governors of major states.

Mr Trump’s high public profile from his business activities and as host of Celebrity Apprentice will immediately push him to the frontline.

As a novice, he can tap support from those who detest professional politicians. But his impact will mainly be from his ability to generate publicity.

His launch event started with a medley of The Phantom of the Opera, the Rolling Stones and pop tunes before he offered a blistering critique of the Obama administration and of politicians in general.

He promises to “build a great, great wall” on the Mexican border, which he says the Mexican government will finance, and present a tougher negotiating position with China.

He says he will repeal President Obama’s public health measures, “get tough” on Islamic State militants and forbid Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Mr Trump says he can afford to finance his presidential campaign on his own – “I’m really rich,” he boasts, citing net worth of $US8.7 billion – and has surprised observers by also having a fully fledged campaign organisation in the states where the first primaries are to be held.

Unlike many of the other candidates, Mr Trump is already scoring between 3-5% support in recent national polls, enough to qualify for a Fox News debate on August 5.

This will be restricted to the highest polling candidates and it is likely to exclude contenders such as Senator Lindsay Graham, former Texas Governor Rick Perry and businesswoman Carly Fiorina, who is the only woman in the contest.