Donald Trump announced his first run for president as a counter to Pat Buchanan.
Posted by The Health Ranger Report, Checked
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The Health Ranger ReportOct 22, 2026
Sources confirm Trump's first presidential move was his October 1999 announcement of an exploratory committee for the Reform Party nomination, and that Pat Buchanan was his main rival for that nomination. However, sources attribute the run partly to Jesse Ventura's urging and to Trump's broader political ambitions, so calling it a deliberate 'counter' to Buchanan is only partly supported.
What was said
… People look back on i guess it was Buchanan campaigned in '89 and '90, I think it was, whenever Buchanan was campaigning, or was it '98-99? I think I'm No, no, no, it was no you're right it was I think it was '88 90, right around that time period. That was i think that was the first time that Trump announced he was running for president. He did that in a direct, um, counter to Pat Buchanan. So people are kind of reviewing that now, but, but Ross Perot perot is another reason. So my point is, though, the things that they were able to do to snuff something like that out in the in, you know, right after birth, I don't think they can do that …
The Health Ranger Report · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. The Hill and PolitiFact describe Trump's 1999–2000 run as being prompted by supporters and by Jesse Ventura's suggestion, not primarily as a response to Buchanan, so the 'counter to Buchanan' motive is a contested reading.[2][3]
Supports. Trump announced on Larry King Live on Oct. 8, 1999 that he was forming a presidential exploratory committee under the Reform Party banner, and said Buchanan was too divisive, with Buchanan as his main competitor for the nomination.[4]
Supports. Reason reports that Trump used Buchanan's entry into the Reform Party as his excuse for the 2000 effort and blamed Buchanan when he dropped out, and Vox says Trump 'lost his first presidential campaign to Pat Buchanan.'[5][6]
Context. FactCheck.org notes that Trump considered the 2000 Reform nomination and did not run in part because he did not want to be associated with Buchanan and David Duke.[1]
Sources
6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 tier 1, 1 not rated, 3 tier 2
- 1Trump's David Duke Amnesia - FactCheck.orgfactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2A look back at Trump’s first runthehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: contradicts
- 3PolitiFact | Donald Trump's absurd claim that he knows ...api.politifact.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 4Donald Trump's run: He was just the man he was waiting forwashingtonpost.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5One Year Ago Today, Donald Trump Announced He Was Running ...reason.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 6Donald Trump learned overt nativism from losing his first ... - Voxvox.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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