They could have spied on Trump for four years, don’t forget they thought Trump was going to run for 2012
Which is why they were attacking him during the 2011 correspondents dinner
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k8TwRmX6zs4
I have no doubt that Trump was among their collection targets in 2012, but he was only one of many. However, let’s not delude ourselves that illegal surveillance began in 2012. There have been various iterations of electronic surveillance going back to the earliest days of Project ECHELON in the 1960s, now covered under the FIVE EYES program, STELLAR WIND and the Patriot Act today - and I’m sure there are a few like CARNIVORE and TIA about which we know very little.