The rise of Trump: 26 weeks that changed 2016

Luke Skywalker · Dec 14, 2015

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[h=4]The rise of Trump: 26 weeks that changed 2016[/h]Six months ago Wednesday, Donald Trump descended an escalator at Trump Tower and upended the 2016 presidential race. Here's a look, week by week, at some of the memorable developments in Trump's campaign thus far.

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Dec. 16 marks the six-month point of Donald Trump's campaign.*(Photo: All photos via AP)

Six months ago Wednesday,*Donald Trump descended an escalator at*Trump Tower and upended the 2016 presidential campaign.
He deviated widely from his prepared remarks that day in an announcement*speech that would be just the first taste of a style of campaign rhetoric that leaves some outraged and others lining up behind him in support.*By mid-summer, he built a lead in national polls, and despite a deluge of inflammatory statements in the months since, nothing has*derailed his front-runner status in the GOP race.
Now, with just seven weeks to go before the Iowa caucuses, here's a look back, week by week, at some of the memorable*developments in Trump's campaign thus far.

[h=2]UP NEXT[/h][h=2]03[/h]

Noteworthy moments from the campaign trail. A look at the first six months of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. USA TODAY

[h=2]Week 1: Not your average announcement speech[/h]After a history of*past flirtations with a presidential bid, Trump*officially throws his hat into the ring*for the GOP nomination on June 16. His*rambling announcement*speech*at Trump Tower in New York draws the most attention for his comments on Mexican immigrants:

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. …. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

Donald Trump announces his presidential run on June 16, 2015.*(Photo: Richard Drew, AP)

[h=2]Week 2: Trump dumped*[/h]On June 25, Spanish-language network Univision*dumps Trump's Miss Universe pageant*in response to his comments on Mexican immigrants.

Donald Trump prepares to speak from a cafeteria at Winterset High School during a campaign stop in Iowa on June 27, 2015.*(Photo: Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register via AP)

[h=2]Week 3: More ties cut[/h]Trump tries*to clarify his remarks on*CNN's*State of the Union*on June 28:

"I like Mexico. I love the Mexican people. I do business with the Mexican people.*But you have people coming through the border that are from all over. And they're bad. They're really bad."

The fallout continues on June 29, when NBC/Universal*cuts off its business relationship with Trump. The next day,*Trump sues Univision for $500 million*over its decision to drop*its telecast of the Miss USA pageant.
On July 1,*Trump's menswear collection at Macy's*becomes the latest casualty of his immigration comments.

Community organizer Vicente Mayorga, far left, joins other immigrants outside Macy's Herald Square flagship store on July 1, 2015, in New York, where they encouraged other companies to follow suit and "dump Donald Trump."*(Photo: Kathy Willens, AP)

[h=2]Week 4: Big beautiful wall[/h]On July 8 and 9, celebrity chefs José Andrés and Geoffrey Zakarian*back out of deals to open restaurants*in Trump’s new D.C. hotel.
Trump*takes his immigration message to Phoenix on July 11, telling the crowd:

"I respect Mexico greatly as a country, but the problem we have is that their leaders are much smarter, sharper and more cunning than our leaders, and they're killing us at the border."

He repeats his vow to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border — paid for by Mexico — and says*as president he would charge Mexico $100,000 for every undocumented immigrant who crossed the border.

Donald Trump speaks at the Phoenix Convention Center on July 11, 2015.*(Photo: Cheryl Evans, The Arizona Republic via AP)

[h=2]Week 5: 'I like people that weren't captured'[/h]Lindsey Graham tells CNN's*State of the Union*on July 12 that Trump is a "wrecking ball for the future of the Republican Party with the Hispanic community and we need to push back."
On July 14, a*USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll*shows*Trump atop the*crowded GOP*presidential field, though he fares the worst among the top seven GOP candidates in head-to-head matchups with*Democrat Hillary Clinton.
On July 17, Trump says*the Marines killed in the previous day's*shooting at a military*facility in Chattanooga, Tenn., “never had a chance” and*called for an end to gun-free zones.
The Huffington Post*announces its*coverage of Trump*will be handled by its entertainment section*and*not its politics team.
The week*is capped off with the most attention-grabbing moment of the campaign so far:*Trump's comments on Sen. John McCain*at the*Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa:

"He's not a war hero — he's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured."

Donald Trump speaks at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, on July 18, 2015.*(Photo: Nati Harnik, AP)

[h=2]Week 6: 'The best way to win is to win as a Republican'[/h]Trump refuses to apologize to McCain on the day after his "war hero" remarks, amid*criticism from his 2016 rivals. He further slams the senator in an*op-ed in USA TODAY:

"The reality is that John McCain the politician has made America less safe, sent our brave soldiers into wrong-headed foreign adventures, covered up for President Obama with the VA scandal and has spent most of his time in the Senate pushing amnesty."

An*ABC News/Washington Post*poll released July 20*gives Trump a double-digit lead over his*GOP*rivals, though most of the survey was conducted before the McCain flap.
On July 21,*Graham tells CBS*that Trump should "stop being a jackass." Later that day, Trump*gives out Graham's*cellphone number*while speaking*at a town hall in Graham’s home state of South Carolina. (Graham later*destroys his phone.)
Trump*outlines his billions*in personal financial disclosure forms released July 22, with 92 pages of documents detailing his income, assets and liabilities.
On July 23, Trump*makes a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border, where he said he supports legal immigration.
He makes an appearance on MSNBC’s*Morning Joe*on July 24 and addresses the possibility of a third-party bid:

"The best way to win is to win as a Republican.* I do not want to do independent at all. Now if I'm treated poorly, that's one thing.* If I'm treated well and with great respect and don't win, I would not do that.* But if I'm treated poorly, I will do it."

Donald Trump boards his plane to depart from Laredo, Texas, after a visit to the border on July 23, 2015.*(Photo: LM Otero, AP)

[h=2]Week 7: Trump's supporters stick with him[/h]Despite a*tumultuous week following the McCain flap, Trump still sits atop the GOP field in*polls released July 26.
A*Monmouth University Poll of likely New Hampshire primary voters*released July 28 shows Trump topping fellow Republicans, with 24% compared with Jeb Bush's 12%. In a*national Quinnipiac Poll released July 30, Trump again*leads the GOP field, but he also tops the “no*way” list, with 30% of Republican*voters saying they definitely wouldn't*support him.

A campaign bus for Donald Trump sits parked outside of a rally and picnic on July 25, 2015, in Oskaloosa, Iowa.*(Photo: Charlie Neibergall, AP)

[h=2]Week*8: 'Blood coming out of her wherever'[/h]As anticipation mounts for the first Republican debate, Trump's campaign*grapples with a report of a racially charged Facebook post by one of its advisers. On Aug. 2, his campaign announces it is parting ways with*Sam Nunberg.
As the debate nears, Trump downplays expectations,*telling CBS'*Face the Nation, “I don’t stand up and debate like these politicians.”*Meanwhile, he*holds on to a commanding lead in polls.
On Aug. 6, Trump and the other nine candidates who ranked in the top 10 of polls*meet at last in the Fox News debate. In the debate's opening moments, Trump signals that he won't rule out an independent bid. Trump seems to perform*well enough in his first-ever debate to maintain his front-runner status, though his remarks regarding women prove controversial in the days ahead.
The next night, Trump continues his withering criticism of debate moderator Megyn Kelly:

"Well, I just don’t respect her as a journalist. I don’t think she’s very good. I think she’s highly overrated … She starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions, and you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever. She was, in my opinion, she was off-base."

Though*Trump denied the implication he was referencing Kelly's menstruation cycle, critics pounced, including RedState Gathering organizer Erick Erickson,*who disinvited Trump*from addressing the Atlanta event.

Trump responds to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's closing remarks during the first Republican presidential debate at the Quicken Loans Arena on Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland.*(Photo: Andrew Harnik, AP)

[h=2]Week 9: 'I said nothing wrong whatsoever'[/h]Trump*declines to apologize*for his comments about*Fox's Kelly. He tells CNN's*State of the Union, “I said nothing wrong whatsoever" in one of several Sunday show appearances on Aug. 9. He also appears on NBC, CBS and ABC, but not Fox. He*makes a return to Fox News*two days later.
He makes*his first public appearance since the debate*on Aug. 11 in Michigan and discusses*immigration, China, the military, Obamacare and his Republican opponents.
Trump continues to lead polls in*Iowa*and*New Hampshire*despite the controversy stemming from his debate comments.
He makes a*grand entrance at the Iowa State Fair*on Aug. 15, landing near the fairgrounds via helicopter.

A visitor casts a vote with a kernel of corn for Donald Trump at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 20, 2015, in Des Moines.*(Photo: Paul Sancya, AP)

[h=2]Week 10: 'The greatest wall that you've ever seen'[/h]Trump*releases his immigration plan*on Aug. 16, centered on three "core principles":

1. A nation without borders is not a nation.*There must be a wall across the southern border.
2. A nation without laws is not a nation.*Laws passed in accordance with our Constitutional system of government must be enforced.
3. A nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation.*Any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans.

He*sees no loss of momentum in polling, garnering*24% support among GOP registered voters in*a CNN/ORC poll*released Aug. 18, with*Bush being the only other candidate to hit double digits in the nationwide poll.
He holds a*town hall in Derry, N.H.,*on Aug. 19,*at around the same time Bush holds*a town hall in nearby Merrimack. In discussing immigration, he pledges to*“build the greatest wall that you’ve ever seen ...*If they call it the Trump Wall, it has to be beautiful.”
Trump's*Aug. 21 rally in Mobile, Ala., is moved from*a hotel ballroom to a local football stadium to accommodate crowds.

A woman with her baby shows excitement when Donald Trump greets them after he speaks at a rally on Aug. 21, 2015, in Mobile, Ala.*(Photo: Brynn Anderson, AP)

[h=2]Week 11: 'Go back to Univision'[/h]Trump*continues his attacks on Kelly*on Aug. 24, as she returned to her show after a family vacation.*Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes*fires back*the next day, calling on Trump to apologize.
In an Iowa news conference on Aug. 26, Trump has Univision anchor Jorge Ramos*booted out by*security.*Ramos had tried to ask Trump*questions about immigration, and Trump insisted he hadn't called on Ramos yet.

Trump: Excuse me. Sit down. You weren't called. Sit down.
Ramos: No, no, no...
Trump: Sit down. Sit down. Go ahead.
Ramos: I have the right to ask a question.
Trump: No, you don't. You haven't been called.
Ramos: I have the right to ask a question.
Trump: Go back to Univision.

The atmosphere is lighter at an Aug. 27 news conference in South Carolina,*highlighted by Trump asking a supporter to touch his hair*to quash rumors that he wears a toupee.
The week is capped off*with*strong polling for Trump in Iowa, which follows polls from earlier in the week showing Trump*leading nationally*and in*South Carolina.

Donald Trump has a supporter, Mary Margaret Bannister, check to see whether his hair is real during a speech on Aug. 27, 2015, in Greenville, S.C.*(Photo: Richard Shiro, AP)

[h=2]Week 12: The loyalty pledge[/h]There's more*good Iowa polling news for Trump*to start off the week, though Ben Carson is emerging as a challenger to his lead.
Bush*launches his defense against Trump's comments that he is "low energy,"*ripping Trump as a "germophobe"*in a Sept. 2 "candidate quiz" that also compares*his record to*Trump's*more liberal positions in the past. In a*Sept. 3 interview on ABC’s*Good Morning America, *Bush says,**“I think Donald Trump is trying to insult his way to the presidency, and it’s not going to work."
But the biggest news of the week following*Bush vs. Trump is*Trump's signing of the GOP loyalty*pledge, in which he promises to back the Republican presidential nominee if it is not*him:

"I have no intention of changing my mind. I see no circumstances under which I would tear up that pledge."

Leading into Labor Day weekend, Trump*botches his answers to foreign policy questions*during a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt; he accuses Hewitt of "gotcha" questioning.

Donald Trump holds his GOP loyalty pledge at Trump Tower in New York on Sept. 3, 2015.*(Photo: Richard Drew, AP)

[h=2]Week 13: 'Look at that face!'[/h]Trump hits the nation's capital on Sept. 9, joining fellow candidate Ted Cruz and Tea Party supporters*to*denounce the Iran nuclear deal.*"We are led by very, very stupid people," he tells the crowd.
Later*that day, in a moment that rivals his comments on McCain and Kelly,*Rolling Stone pubilshes an*article*that*describes*Trump mocking fellow candidate Carly Fiorina’s looks.

"When the anchor throws to Carly Fiorina for her reaction to Trump’s momentum, Trump’s expression sours in schoolboy disgust as the camera bores in on Fiorina. ‘Look*at that face!’ he cries. ‘Would anyone*vote*for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next*president?!’ "

He defends his comments in a*Thursday morning phone-in interview*on*Fox & Friends:

“Probably I did say something like that about Carly — I’m talking about persona, I’m not talking not about looks. …*When I get criticized constantly about my hair, nobody does a story about ‘Oh, isn’t that terrible, they criticized Donald Trump’s hair.’ ”

He*hits a new polling high of 32%*in a CNN/ORC poll released Sept. 10;*additional polls*that week show him*leading in Iowa, with Carson as the only other candidate hitting double digits.
Trump caps off the week with*an appearance on*The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, discussing potential vice-presidential picks, Clinton's emails and his "beautiful wall," among other topics.

Host Jimmy Fallon and Donald Trump appear on "The Tonight Show" on Sept. 11, 2015, in New York.*(Photo: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC via AP)

[h=2]Week 14: 'No-win situation'[/h]A*CBS News/New York Times poll*released Sept. 15 shows a tighter race between Trump and Carson.
That same day, the political arm of the*Club for Growth announces a*$1 million advertising campaign*against Trump.
Trump*takes hits from all sides in the second primary*debate,*held in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 16, but*he dismisses his GOP rivals in trademark Trump fashion:

"Everything I've done, virtually, has been a tremendous success."

The next day, Trump*faces this question*from an audience member at a*New Hampshire*town hall:

"We got a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims. We know our current president is one. We know he’s not even an American. (Trump: We need the question.) But anyway. We have training camps brewing where they want to kill us. That’s my question. When can we get rid of them?"

Trump, not addressing what the man said about President Obama,*replies:

"We’re going to be looking at a lot of different things. A lot of people are saying that. A lot of people are saying that bad things are happening out there. We’re going to be looking into that and plenty of other things."

He*responds to criticism*in*a series of tweets*two days later,*saying he was in a "no win situation."

This is the first time in my life that I have caused controversy by NOT saying something.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2015

If someone made a nasty or controversial statement about me to the president, do you really think he would come to my rescue? No chance!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2015

If I would have challenged the man, the media would have accused me of interfering with that man's right of free speech. A no win situation!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2015

Trump caps off the week by*campaigning in Iowa, repeating his defense of how he handled the Muslim question, and appears before a high school homecoming, telling the crowd that*he's willing to appoint a Muslim to his Cabinet.

Donald Trump high-fives homecoming king Austin Cook as queen Eylse Pescott looks on during a rally at Urbandale High School on Sept. 19, 2015, in Urbandale, Iowa.*(Photo: Charlie Neibergall, AP)

[h=2]Week 15: Rubio in the cross hairs[/h]Trump maintains his lead in a*CNN/ORC poll released Sept. 20, but he drops 8 points since*the network's poll earlier in the month. Carly Fiorina surges*12 points after another strong debate performance.
In a Sept. 21 Twitter Q&A, Trump says*he'll*forgo the $400,000 annual salary*if he*becomes president.*On Sept. 22, he*sends*a cease-and-desist letter to the Club for Growth*over its recent attack ad.
Marco Rubio becomes the latest Trump target*on Sept. 23, with Trump*calling the senator*a “lightweight” and “overly ambitious, too young” and mocking his*sweating habits. Rubio fires back the next day, calling Trump “touchy” and “insecure.”
Also on Sept. 23, Trump tweets that he's done with Fox News.
The next*day, he and Ailes*set a meeting*for the following week*“to discuss their differences of opinion regarding Fox’s coverage."
Trump ends the week with an*appearance at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, where he brings along*his*childhood*Bible and tells the audience that*he's a faithful Christian who will fight for religious freedom. (He also dings Rubio again, calling him a "clown.")

Donald Trump holds up his Bible as he speaks during the Values Voter Summit on Sept. 25, 2015, in Washington*(Photo: Jose Luis Magana, AP)

[h=2]Week 16: Outsiders on top[/h]A Sept. 27 NBC News/Wall Street Journal*poll has*Trump and Carson in a virtual tie. Trump shows a more commanding lead in a*USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll*released three days later,*in which the*"outsider" candidates dominate.
Trump*releases his tax plan*on Sept. 28, which includes*the following goals:

1. Tax relief for middle class Americans:*In order to achieve the American dream, let people keep more money in their pockets and increase after-tax wages.
2. Simplify the tax code*to reduce the headaches Americans face in preparing their taxes and let everyone keep more of their money.
3. Grow the American economy*by discouraging corporate inversions, adding a huge number of new jobs, and making America globally competitive again.
4. Doesn’t add to our debt and deficit, which are already too large.

Trump ends his six-day Fox News boycott with a*Sept. 29 appearance on*The O'Reilly Factor.

Donald Trump talks about his tax plan during a news conference on Sept. 28, 2015, in New York.*(Photo: Julie Jacobson, AP)

[h=2]Week*17: 'I'm not getting out — I'm going to win'[/h]In a*New York Times*interview published Oct. 5, Trump says*TV ratings would plummet*without him in the race.

“There’d be a major collapse of the race, and there’d be a major collapse of television ratings ...*It would become a depression in television.”

Amid rumors that he could exit the race early in light of his polling lead tightening, Trump tells CNN, "I'm not getting out — I'm going to win."
A*Quinnipiac poll released Oct. 7*shows Trump leading in three*key swing states.*“Those who were waiting for Donald Trump’s campaign to collapse will need to wait*longer, at least in the three key states of Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania,” said Peter A. Brown,*assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
At an*Oct. 8 rally in Las Vegas, Trump invites a woman on stage, whom he says he's never met, while discussing a People magazine cover that features his family. She proclaims: "I’m Hispanic and I vote for Mr. Trump! Yes, Mr. Trump! We love you! We love you all the way to the White House!"

Donald Trump speaks at a rally on Oct. 8, 2015, in Las Vegas.*(Photo: John Locher, AP)

[h=2]Week*18: 'The World Trade Center came down during his reign'[/h]Lest anyone think that the first Democratic debate on Oct. 13 would be a Trump-free occasion, he gets in on the action by live-tweeting the event.

At the request of many, and even though I expect it to be a very boring two hours, I will be covering the Democrat Debate live on twitter!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2015

At a*rally in Richmond*the next day, he tells supporters that his biggest criticism*of the debate was that no candidate was aggressive enough in going*after*Hillary Clinton, and he called Bernie Sanders a "maniac."
National polls from*Fox*and*CBS*show Trump and Carson continuing to lead the GOP field, with no other candidate breaking into double digits. Trump's response to Carson gaining on him?*“He’s been getting a lot of ink on the Muslims and other things,”*he tells*ABC News*on Oct. 14. “And I guess people look at that and they probably like it. Some people thought they wouldn’t like it, but they probably do.”
Despite Trump's insistence that he can self-fund his*White House bid, his documents filed Oct. 15*with the Federal Election Commission showed*that his campaign raised*$3.9 million from July through September, with nearly all of that coming from other people's donations.
Trump*and fellow candidates*resolve their issues with the debate format*on Oct. 16, when CNBC agrees to limit its upcoming*debate to two hours, including opening and closing statements*and commercial*breaks.
In a Bloomberg interview released Oct. 16,*Trump slams George W. Bush for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks*happening on his watch.

“I think I have a bigger heart than all of them. I think I’m much more competent than all of them. When you talk about George Bush, I mean — say what you want — *the World Trade Center came down during his time."
“He was president, OK? Don’t blame him or don’t blame him, but he was president. The World Trade Center came down during his reign. If you look at Sandy Hook, those people are still begging for help. It’s a disaster.”

A group of supporters wave signs prior to a speech by Donald Trump during a rally in Richmond, Va., on Oct. 14, 2015.*(Photo: Steve Helber, AP)

[h=2]Week 19: A 'young intern' at fault[/h]The week kicks off with Trump and Jeb Bush*taking aim at each other on the Sunday shows*over Trump's comments on George W. Bush*and 9/11.
Trump*tells*Fox News Sunday*on Oct. 18:

"Look, look, Jeb said, 'we were safe with my brother. We were safe.' Well, the World Trade Center just fell down.
"Now, am I trying to blame him? I'm not blaming anybody. But the World Trade Center came down. So when he said, we were safe, that's not safe. We lost 3,000 people, it was one of the greatest -- probably the greatest catastrophe ever in this country if you think about it, right?"

And Bush tells CNN's*State of the Union:

"Look, my brother responded to a crisis, and he did it as you would hope a president would do.*He united the country. He organized our country, and he kept us safe. And there's no denying that. The great majority of Americans believe that."

National polls released Oct. 19 and 20 from*NBC News/Wall Street Journal*and*CNN/ORC*continue to*show Trump and Carson*well ahead of their fellow GOP candidates. But a Quinnipiac poll released Oct. 22*shows*Carson passing Trump in Iowa.*“It’s Ben Carson’s turn in the spotlight,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
Hours after the release of the Iowa poll,*Trump's Twitter account retweets a tweet that riles up Iowans:
Trump goes on to blame the retweet on a "young intern."

The young intern who accidentally did a Retweet apologizes.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2015

Donald Trump shows off a sign during a campaign stop on Oct. 23, 2015, in Doral, Fla.*(Photo: Alan Diaz, AP)

[h=2]Week 20: 'We need tremendous energy'[/h]With Carson's rise in the polls, Trump*continues his attacks*on the new Iowa front-runner.*“Ben Carson is super low energy, right?” Trump says*on CNN’s*State of the Union*on Oct. 25. *“Super low energy. We need tremendous energy.”
The next day, a Monmouth poll of Iowa Republicans*shows Carson with a 14-point lead over Trump. And on Oct. 27, Carson passes Trump in a*New York Times/CBS News national poll.,*garnering the support of*26% of GOP primary voters*compared with Trump's 22%.
But the*Oct. 28 Republican debate comes and goes*without the expected fireworks*between the two candidates. The*aftermath of the debate*is instead focused on*criticism of the moderators*from Trump and others.

Donald Trump makes a point during the CNBC Republican debate on Oct. 28, 2015, in Boulder, Colo.*(Photo: Mark J. Terrill, AP)

[h=2]Week 21: High noon for Trump and Rubio[/h]In the wake of the criticism*over the third GOP debate, representatives from the candidates' campaigns meet on Nov. 1 to discuss demands for future debates. But the next day, Trump's campaign says it will*continue to negotiate directly with the networks.
Nov. 2 marks the second*dip in a week for Trump in national polling, with Carson leading the Republican field in*a NBC/Wall Street Journal*poll*with 29% compared with Trump's 23%.
Another round of Trump vs. Rubio begins on Nov. 3, with Trump*attacking the Florida senator on his immigration stance, missed votes in the Senate*and personal finances*during a news conference to promote his latest book.*“He doesn’t show up for the people of Florida,” Trump says.
Rubio fires back*two days later when speaking to reporters in New Hampshire.*“I find it ironic that the only person running for president that’s ever declared bankruptcy —*four times in the last 25 years —*is attacking anyone on finances,” he says in response to Trump's comments on*his use of a party-issued*credit card when he served*in the state*Legislature.
On Nov. 5, the Department of Homeland Security confirms that*Trump and Carson are receiving Secret Service protection.
Trump caps off the week by*hosting*Saturday Night Live, boosting the show to its*best ratings in almost*four years.

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner watches as Donald Trump files papers to be on New Hampshire's primary ballot on Nov. 4, 2015, in Concord, N.H.*(Photo: Jim Cole, AP)

[h=2]Week 22: Dramatic re-enactment[/h]Nov. 10 brings*the*fourth Republican debate.*Trump elicits boos from the audience*after a*spat with John Kasich over immigration*when he dismisses the Ohio governor by saying,*“I don’t have to hear from this man, believe me," and again when he says of Fiorina, “Why does she keep interrupting everybody?”
At a Nov. 12 campaign stop in Iowa,*Trump*weighs in on mounting criticism over the accuracy of a number of Carson's*anecdotes*from his personal history and troubled youth, even re-enacting*the scene of Carson attempting to stab a friend:

“I have a belt. Somebody hits me with a knife, it’s going in because the belt moves this way. It moves this way. It moves that way! It moves the buckle! Anybody have a knife and want to try it on me?”

“If you’re pathological, there’s no cure for that,” Trump*tells the audience in Fort Dodge, Iowa. “If you’re a child molester, there’s no cure. They can’t stop you.”
He*continues the theme in a video released the next day:

Happy Friday the 13th
A video posted by Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Nov 13, 2015 at 8:07am PST

Carson*tells*reporters on Nov. 13 in South Carolina that Trump is engaged in “the usual politics of personal destruction" but that*he will not get into the “mud” with his GOP rival.

Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Iowa Central Community College on Nov. 12, 2015, in Fort Dodge, Iowa.*(Photo: Charlie Neibergall, AP)

[h=2]Week 23: Matters of national security[/h]As the world reels from the*attacks in Paris, a*Reuters/Ipsos poll*released Nov. 17 finds*Trump and Clinton*atop the*list of*presidential*candidates who*respondents felt were best equipped to deal with the threat of terrorism, each with about 20% support.
Amid the post-Paris escalation of the debate over Syrian refugees in the U.S., Trump*jumps on an Internet report of Syrians detained at the Texas border*as another reason to build his wall on the Southern border:

Eight Syrians were just caught on the southern border trying to get into the U.S. ISIS maybe? I told you so. WE NEED A BIG & BEAUTIFUL WALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2015

He causes a bigger stir on Nov. 19 in his*response to NBC News about a*mandatory database to track Muslims:*“I would certainly implement that. Absolutely.” He later backtracks, amid criticism from both his Republican and Democratic rivals:

I didn't suggest a database-a reporter did. We must defeat Islamic terrorism & have surveillance, including a watch list, to protect America
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2015

On Nov. 20,*Kasich is the latest subject of a Trump tweetstorm, focused on an*ad by Kasich's super PAC targeting*Trump.

I want to do negative ads on John Kasich, but he is so irrelevant to the race that I don’t want to waste my money.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2015

Donald Trump speaks during a town hall meeting at the Ben Johnson Arena on the Wofford College campus on Nov. 20, 2015, in Spartanburg, S.C.*(Photo: Richard Shiro, AP)

[h=2]Week 24: 'Thousands of people were cheering'[/h]In a*Nov. 22 appearance on ABC's*This Week, Trump addresses his recent comments on a Muslim database*and*closing*mosques:

"I want a database for the refugees that -- if they come into the country. We have no idea who these people are. When the Syrian refugees are going to start pouring into this country, we don't know if they're ISIS, we don't know if it's a Trojan horse.*And I definitely want a database and other checks and balances."
"Well, I don't want to close mosques; I want to surveil mosques. I want mosques surveiled. ...*And let me tell you, the people that are involved in those mosques, they know who the bad ones are and they know who the good ones are, but they don't talk."

During the same appearance, he also repeats his*widely discredited claim, which he first discussed the previous day at an Alabama rally,*about seeing television footage of*Muslims in New Jersey celebrating*the fall of the World Trade Center on 9/11.

"Hey, I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down. And I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering."

On Nov. 22, Trump*defends his retweet*two days earlier*of an inaccurate, racially charged graphic on crime statistics:
“I retweeted somebody that was supposedly an expert,” Trump*tells*Fox News’*O'Reilly.*“Bill, am I gonna check every statistic?”
Trump maintains his lead in New Hampshire in a*Suffolk University/Boston Globe*poll released Nov. 22, coming in 22 points higher than his closest competitor, Rubio. He regains his lead in Iowa in a*Quinnipiac University poll*released Nov. 24, with 25%, though Cruz comes in*just two points behind.
Capping off Thanksgiving week,*Trump faces criticism*for mocking the movements of a*New York Times*reporter,*Serge Kovaleski, who has a disability affecting his joints.
In a statement, Trump says he didn't know Kovaleski*personally*and was only*"mocking the fact that the reporter was trying to pull away from a story that he wrote 14 years ago," referring to a story Kovaleski wrote while at The Washington Post*that Trump had cited to back his controversial 9/11 comments.

A circus elephant greets supporters of Donald Trump outside a campaign rally on Nov. 28, 2015, in Sarasota, Fla.*(Photo: Steve Nesius, AP)

[h=2]Week 25: $5 million threat[/h]After touting an impending endorsement from a group of black pastors,*Trump's campaign backtracks and cancels a planned news conference*for Nov. 30*amid criticism*of Trump's racial insensitivity*and denial of*any plans to endorse*him. Trump ends up holding an impromptu news conference after meeting with the group and touts the meeting as successful, though no specific endorsement are announced.

Meeting with African American Pastors at Trump Tower was amazing. Wonderful news conference followed. Now off to Georgia for big speech!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2015

During a Nov. 30 campaign stop in Georgia, Trump throws out the idea that he'll skip the next debate unless CNN gives him $5 million (which he said he'd donate to "Wounded Warriors or the vets").
But three days later — and several hours after*CNN President Jeff Zucker proclaimed,*“We do not pay candidates to appear at debates"*— he changes his tune. “When you’re leading in the polls, I think it’s too big of a risk to not do the debate,” Trump tells*The Washington Post. “I don’t think I have the kind of leverage I’d like to have in a deal and I don’t want to take the chance of hurting my campaign. So I’ll do the debate.”
In a national Quinnipiac University*poll released Dec. 2,*Trump leads with 27% of Republican voters, 10 points ahead of*Rubio. A national CNN poll released two days later shows Trump leading by a whopping 20 points, with 36% compared with Cruz's 16%.

Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally on Nov. 30, 2015, in Macon, Ga.*(Photo: Branden Camp, AP)

[h=2]Week 26: 'A total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States'[/h]On Dec. 6, President Obama gives a rare Oval Office prime-time address on the U.S. fight against the Islamic State in the wake of the Paris attacks and San Bernardino shootings. Trump live-tweets the occasion and is underwhelmed:

Is that all there is? We need a new President - FAST!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2015

Dec. 7 brings Trump’s most divisive proclamation thus far, with a campaign statement that elicits widespread condemnation:

“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.”*

He doesn’t back down from his position in the days following, claiming it has “tremendous support” and that he has gotten calls from people worried about terrorist attacks who “just want to see something happen.”
In the wake of Trump’s Muslim ban proposal, the Huffington Post reverses its earlier decision to classify Trump content as “entertainment.”
It's a mixed bag of polling for Trump over the course of the week. A Monmouth University Poll released Dec. 7 has Cruz leading Trump by 5 points in Iowa, but an Iowa poll released by CNN the same day has Trump up 13 points over Cruz. And on Dec. 12,*The*Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa*Poll has Cruz surging to a 10-point lead over Trump.
Nationally, Trump leads Cruz in a Dec. 8 USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll and a*Dec. 10 CBS News/New York Times poll. The USA TODAY/Suffolk poll also finds that 68% of Trump's supporters say they'd vote for him if he bolts the GOP and runs as an independent — a stat that*Trump is quick to tout.
On Dec. 10, The Washington Post reports that top figures in the Republican Party are preparing for a brokered convention scenario, recounting a Trump-centric discussion in which “several longtime power brokers argued that if the controversial billionaire storms through the primaries, the party’s establishment must lay the groundwork for a floor fight, in which the GOP’s mainstream wing could coalesce around an alternative.”
The week concludes with a battle percolating*between Trump and Cruz. The New York Times reports on a private donor meeting in which Cruz questions Trump's judgment. Cruz continues to hold back on criticizing Trump in public, despite Trump's bait.
On Dec. 13, Trump sets his sights on Cruz in Sunday show interviews, telling*Fox News Sunday that Cruz acts like "a bit of a maniac" in the Senate.

I was disappointed that Ted Cruz would speak behind my back, get caught, and then deny it. Well, welcome to the wonderful world of politics!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2015

Donald Trump speaks during a rally aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in Mount Pleasant, S.C.,on Dec. 7, 2015.*(Photo: Mic Smith, AP)

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The rise of Trump: 26 weeks that changed 2016

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