By GABBY MORRONGIELLO • 6/16/16 9:04 AM

Donald Trump has spent the last 365 days riding the escalator of his gilded Manhattan skyscraper to the top of the Republican presidential ticket.

Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the political newcomer's entry into the 2016 presidential race. On the day he announced his candidacy, most regarded Trump as a fringe candidate with little to no chance of even qualifying for the initial GOP primary debate.

He was a real estate mogul who morphed into a TV host with no experience governing or serving in elected office. He was running for the Republican nomination slightly over a decade after publicly stating, "I probably identify more as a Democrat." He was not taken seriously by most.

But Trump quickly proved his critics wrong.

In the year since making his political debut, Trump single-handedly took out 17 Republican rivals and amassed more primary votes – 13.3 million – than any GOP presidential candidate before him. His signature campaign rallies have attracted tens of thousands of Americans enamored with his disdain for the existing political system, and he has simultaneously earned the praise of liberal ideologues like Paul Krugman and social conservatives like Jerry Falwell Jr., while drawing the ire of congressional Democrats and Republicans alike.

One key factor has been his unorthodox and unsinkable campaign style. Some claim the New York billionaire "doesn't have a campaign." Others have described it as "the most unorthodox campaign in political history," but nevertheless one that exists.

Either way, the operation that got Trump through the primary and to the general election is something many veteran campaign operatives have said they've never seen before.

Similarly, Trump's ability to make statements and mistakes that would sink the average candidate's campaign has often left political strategists and pundits bewildered.

He labelled Mexican immigrants criminals and "rapists," questioned a sitting U.S. senator's war hero status, floated the idea of allowing Japan and South Korea to develop nuclear weapons, suggested that women who receive abortions be subjected to "some form of punishment" and criticized an Indiana-born federal judge's Mexican heritage, but it never hurt him in the primary.

When the Republican primaries ended earlier this month, Trump's total spending came to about $43 million and he employed around a dozen staffers at his campaign headquarters in New York City.

By comparison, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton currently has more than 500 paid staffers nationwide and has spent about $174 million.

Trump also confounded critics by taking down his opposition without ever leaning too much on substance. Trump survived 12 debates without ever describing how he would get Mexico to pay for the 1,000-mile border wall that he's promised to build if elected president. It wasn't until mid-April, when his campaign sent a two-page to the Washington Post, that he specifically outlined his plan.

During the primary, Trump issued three separate white papers covering his immigration plan, trade policy and position on the Second Amendment, and he delivered two major policy speeches – one on energy and one on foreign affairs.

Aside from what was written in those papers or said in those speeches, Trump has rarely provided specifics when discussing his policy proposals. He's instead reached voters with an aggressively vague message.

Florida senator and ex-White House hopeful Marco Rubio once said of Trump during a debate: "He says five things: Everyone's dumb, he's going to make America great again, win, win, win, he's winning in the polls, and the lines around the states. Every night, same thing."

Asked by a moderator if there was anything he would like to say, Trump responded: "What's to add?"

Trump's vow to not be "politically correct" has also become a cornerstone of his campaign.

He's argued that President Obama's refusal to use the phrase "radical Islam" in the name of political correctness has compromised America's national security. He previously warned voters that being politically correct "shows a sign of weakness" and is "killing" our country. Last December, Trump hammered department stores that refused to say "Merry Christmas" in their advertising.

The issue of political correctness plays right into the hands of Trump's supporters, 84 percent of whom said in a recent Quinnipiac University poll that they want a president who is "willing to say or do anything" to address the nation's problems.

With the primaries ending earlier this week and both parties' conventions nearing, Trump currently trails Clinton by 5.6 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics polling average. He will host an anniversary campaign rally in Dallas, Texas at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night.

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