Trump's campaign reportedly considered copying his iconic Trump Tower escalator ride to kick off his re-election campaign
- President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner floated the idea of recreating Donald Trump's iconic entrance into the 2016 presidential election, according to The New York Times.
- Kushner reportedly suggested kicking off the campaign by having Trump's descend from an escalator at the Trump Tower building in New York City, as he did in 2015.
- Kushner's idea for the event was reportedly scuttled due to conflict of interest concerns with the Trump Organization. Trump campaign officials did not respond to INSIDER's request for comment.
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President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner floated the idea of recreating Trump's iconic entrance into the 2016 presidential race, according to a New York Times report published Friday.
Kushner, who has taken on more responsibility in the president's 2020 re-election bid, advocated for kicking off the campaign by recreating Trump's descent from an escalator at the Trump Tower building in New York City.
In June 2015, Trump descended the escalator and gave a thumbs-up to a cheering audience. Trump made his formal announcement in the building's lobby after stepping off the ride.
Following the event, The Hollywood Reporter published an email claiming a casting company was paying $50 to people to participate in the event. Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski denied the claims in the Hollywood Reporter report.
"You know Donald Trump," he said at the time. "There is nobody who believes that when Donald Trump goes somewhere he does not generate the biggest, largest, and most rambunctious crowds on the planet."
Kushner's idea for the kick-off event was later scuttled due to conflict of interest concerns with the Trump Organization, The Times reported. Trump campaign officials did not respond to INSIDER's request for comment.
Trump will take the stage at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on June 18. The arena seats over 20,000 people.
The Trump campaign raised over $30 million in the first quarter of this year, for a total of nearly $41 million, according to the campaign. The Trump campaign's quarterly total is roughly the same as the combined campaign donations for Democratic Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California, who are 2020 candidates.