Donald Trump Takes Formal Steps Toward 2016 Presidential Run

Real estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump took the first steps on Wednesday toward launching a 2016 presidential campaign, a sign the businessman may jump into the Republican race after publicly considering it in years past.

Trump said he had formed an exploratory committee to determine whether to run, and that he had hired staff in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Those states are among the first to hold Republican and Democratic presidential nominating contests.

"We have lost the respect of the entire world," Trump said in a statement Wednesday. "I am the onl