It's My Mind: A Personal Look Back at the 2016 Presidential Race

The White House YouTube channel recently shared a video from Trump Tower titled The Golden Escalator That Changed History. It was posted on Wednesday, but it takes us right back to June 16, 2015 — the day Donald Trump announced his historic run for President. [VIDEO]

The video is nicely shot — kudos to the videographer. At the time, though, I honestly wouldn’t have paid much attention. In the years since, that Golden Escalator moment has become an iconic event. It launched a successful campaign that defeated a formidable opponent: a former Secretary of State and U.S. Senator who seemed poised to become America’s first female President.

In 2016, I wasn’t too focused on politics. I was working two jobs and trying to put as much money in the bank as possible. Other things in my life kept politics in the backseat.

I wasn’t completely oblivious — I had my own ideas about how the race would go. Trump proved to be the one who broke out of a crowded Republican field that included Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina, and others.

Did I see Trump as a credible candidate? I’ve followed presidential campaigns casually since 1996. Trump wasn’t the first businessman or activist to run, and those types rarely succeeded. Remember Morry Taylor? Or Steve Forbes, who actually runs Forbes magazine? What about Ralph Reed of the Christian Coalition?

I didn’t think Trump would go anywhere. My standard for a President was pretty simple: executive experience. That was one reason I couldn’t vote for Barack Obama in 2008, even against the excitement of electing our first Black President.

Donald Trump was a businessman known for his real estate empire. I even saw him as an iconic figure of the 1980s. In the 2000s, he became famous for his hit NBC reality series The Apprentice, which I enjoyed whenever I caught it. He stepped away from the show to run for President.

What I wanted in a President was someone who had at least been a governor. Barack Obama was a U.S. Senator from Illinois, but I didn’t believe he had the experience to run the country. Trump had never run for anything in his life — jumping straight to President felt like an enormous leap.

C-Span (2015) — Donald Trump Presidential Campaign Announcement Full Speech [VIDEO]

Somehow, he succeeded. He won the Republican nomination (to my surprise) and then the Presidency. He connected with a constituency ready for his message: Make America Great Again. That appeal helped him carry key Rust Belt states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

Today, people still talk about his push to bring manufacturing jobs back to those areas — which may explain why tariffs were such a big part of his 2024 message.

Regardless, I was surprised — as Trump himself seemed to be — when he actually won on Election Night 2016. I missed the final call because a friend (now a former friend) called me mid-results to rant about how dismayed he was that Trump was winning. In his words, America would be “less screwed” under Hillary Clinton. At that point, I didn’t want to talk politics with him anymore.

I had expected Hillary Clinton to win. Personally, I was satisfied with the outcome. I didn’t vote for Trump — I voted for the Libertarian ticket of Gary Johnson and William Weld. Both were governors, and I trusted them to run the country (the Aleppo gaffe notwithstanding).

Looking back now in 2026, it’s clear how much that election and the years that followed shifted my perspective on politics. What started as casual disinterest has grown into real engagement. The country feels more divided than ever, but I’m paying closer attention these days — because the stakes truly do feel higher.

Further Reading & Sources