Trump stokes 2016 talk, schedules ‘major announcement’

Donald Trump will make a “major announcement” on June 16 at New York City’s Trump Tower before heading to New Hampshire the next day, according to WMUR-9 in New Hampshire.

The schedule adds to the speculation Trump will run for the White House in 2016 after flirting with a bid in 2012.

{mosads}The mogul has taken a number of steps that suggest he’s more interested about being a candidate in this cycle. He launched an exploratory committee in March, hired staff in important primary states and told WMUR he’s “very much inclined” to join the increasingly crowded Republican primary. 

The outspoken billionaire and television star has repeatedly castigated his potential GOP rivals for being retreads and weak candidates, and has accused multiple candidates of stealing the phrase “Make America Great Again.”

That prompted him to trademark the phrase, despite the fact that it has been a popular slogan with GOP candidates since Ronald Reagan’s campaign. 

Trump has also bashed President Obama for not doing enough to protect America and root out the terrorist threat. He told Fox News’s Greta van Susteren Wednesday on “On the Record” that he has a “foolproof” plan to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, but declined to elaborate.

“If I run and if I win, I don’t want the enemy to know what I am doing,” he said. “Unfortunately, I will probably have to tell at some point but there is a method of defeating them quickly and effectively and having total victory.”