Donald Trump joins crowded Republican race for 2016 US elections

Real estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he is a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election. "I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created," Trump said in a launch speech at his Trump Tower skyscraper in Manhattan.

The 68-year-old real estate mogul and TV personality, had formed a presidential exploratory committee and hired staff in key states, ahead of making the announcement on June 16 in New York.

The race for the Republican Party's 2016 presidential nomination now includes 12 candidates who have formally declared their intention to run for the White House, while several others are likely to announce bids.

Candidates are trying to stand out in a crowded field before the party's first debate in August because only the top 10 contenders will be invited to participate. Some Republicans have pushed back, however.

Other Republican candidates in the race so far are - 

Jeb Bush - The former Florida governor, who is the brother of one president and son of another, formally announced his White House bid after long testing the waters. Before officially entering the race, Bush, 62, had already shaken up his staff and faced criticism for not distancing himself from the foreign policies of his brother, former President George W. Bush, and for struggling with questions about the invasion of Iraq. His moderate positions on immigration, education and other issues could make him less popular among many conservatives.

Ben Carson - Retired neurosurgeon Carson, 63, is a favorite of conservative activists. He has played up his outsider status as a political neophyte, although he still lags in the polls. Raised in a poor family headed by a single mother, Carson rose to be director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. He is the only black candidate running from either political party.

Ted Cruz - Cruz, 44, of Texas is the Tea Party favorite. He was blamed in some quarters for the October 2013 government shutdown because he wanted to link funding to repeal of President Barack Obama's healthcare law. The Harvard-educated son of a Cuban immigrant, Cruz was the first Republican to jump officially into the race and made an explicit appeal for Christian supporters.

Carly Fiorina - Once one of the most powerful women in American business, the former Hewlett-Packard Co chief executive is positioning herself as an outsider with corporate experience. But she was pushed out of the tech company and later ran a failed race for a US Senate seat. Fiorina, 60, has criticized the only other woman so far seeking the presidency, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Lindsey Grahan - The South Carolina senator, a close ally of 2008 Republican nominee John McCain, is running as a defense hawk on security issues and has made criticism of President Barack Obama's foreign policy the center of his campaign. A well-known face on Sunday US news programs, the 59-year-old has been more  moderate on other issues such as immigration reform and climate change.

Mike Huckabee - Former Arkansas Governor Huckabee, 59, ran unsuccessfully in 2008 and declined to run in 2012 despite his popularity with influential evangelical leaders and voters. This time he consistently polls near the top of the pack, behind Bush. The former host of a popular Fox News television show has focused in public appearances on the plight of working Americans left behind in the economic recovery.

George Pataki - The former New York Governor, who led the heavily Democratic-leaning state for three terms, could be a moderate voice in a Republican field heavy with conservatives. Although he has not held public office since 2006 and lacks name recognition, Pataki, 69, has said his leadership during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington gave him insight into the current fight against Islamic State militants.

Rand Paul - The first-term Kentucky senator, 52, is following his father, Ron Paul, in running for president. A libertarian, he has lobbed criticism at Democrats and fellow Republicans alike over the federal debt and personal liberties. He casts himself as an anti-establishment reformer who could win over young and minority voters. He drew recent ire from fellow conservatives for his role in trying to block a Senate vote on security legislation.

Rick Perry - The longest-serving governor in Texas history crashed out of 2012's nominating process after an embarrassing debate performance in which he forgot a government agency he proposed to eliminate. But Perry, 65, has been preparing himself for a run in 2016 and promoting his state's economic growth.

Marco Rubio - Rubio, 44, cast his entry into the Republican field as a "generational choice." The son of Cuban immigrants, the U.S. senator from Florida decided to forgo a run for re-election in the key state. He was swept into the Senate in the Tea Party wave of 2010 but has fought to strengthen his ties with conservatives after he helped lead a failed push for comprehensive immigration reform in 2013.

Rick Santorum - A favorite of the Christian right, the former Pennsylvania senator, 57, won the Iowa caucuses in 2012 and was an active campaigner in the 2014 midterm election cycle. Bolstered in the past by social and religious conservatives, Santorum announced his 2016 bid with an eye on economic issues as other contenders also compete for Christian voters. He has promised to boost the middle-class, eliminate the Internal Revenue Service, push a flat tax and crack down on illegal immigration.