Trump not running for president
(CNN) - Real estate mogul and television celebrity Donald Trump, who generated a media publicity blitz by saying he might run for president in 2012, announced Monday that he will instead remain a businessman.
"After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the presidency," Trump said in a statement.
With his typical bravado, Trump maintained that he would have won the Republican primary and the general election, but recognized that "running for public office cannot be done half-heartedly."
"Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector," Trump said in the statement.
Trump's flirtation with running for the Republican nomination included his demand that President Barack Obama make public his full birth certificate from Hawaii.
Obama previously had provided a shorter version that serves as the public record in Hawaii, but amid the media glare on the issue raised in part by Trump's repeated questioning of whether the so-called long version of the document existed, the president released it last month.
At an NBC presentation of the network's fall line-up, Trump, star of "Celebrity Apprentice," said "NBC has been amazing. This will be our 12th season and I have to say I love 'Celebrity Apprentice.'"
"I will not be running for president as much as I'd like to," Trump added.
Full release:"After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the Presidency. This decision does not come easily or without regret; especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country. I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election. I have spent the past several months unofficially campaigning and recognize that running for public office cannot be done half heartedly. Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector.
I want to personally thank the millions of Americans who have joined the various Trump grassroots movements and written me letters and e-mails encouraging me to run. My gratitude for your faith and trust in me could never be expressed properly in words. So, I make you this promise: that I will continue to voice my opinions loudly and help to shape our politician's thoughts. My ability to bring important economic and foreign policy issues to the forefront of the national dialogue is perhaps my greatest asset and one of the most valuable services I can provide to this country. I will continue to push our President and the country's policy makers to address the dire challenges arising from our unsustainable debt structure and increasing lack of global competitiveness. Issues, including getting tough on China and other countries that are methodically and systematically taking advantage of the United States, were seldom mentioned before I brought them to the forefront of the country's conversation. They are now being debated vigorously. I will also continue to push for job creation, an initiative that should be this country's top priority and something that I know a lot about. I will not shy away from expressing the opinions that so many of you share yet don't have a medium through which to articulate.
I look forward to supporting the candidate who is the most qualified to help us tackle our country's most important issues and am hopeful that, when this person emerges, he or she will have the courage to take on the challenges of the Office and be the agent of change that this country so desperately needs."
Thank you and God Bless America!
Donald J. Trump
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Did anyone honestly think he would run? If you did..... I'm sorry.
GOOD! That's all we needed...
I can win the gop primary and, ultimately, the presidency but I really love the private sector. Hello? Maybe he's got some problems pretending to buyers he developed buildings when he just rents his name to the scam.
Trump was going to lose anyways. Huckabee, too. Both are chatter boxes; they are liars if they think they can win the presidency. These guys are practically useless. Newt and Romney are better candidates.
Hahahahaha.............!!!!! We know that's you so Chicken Mr. Trumped and you not going to win at all dude.
Aww.....the trump doesn't think he can win now that Obama has shown his birth certificate LOL
This shouldn't surprise anybody– well, except maybe for the intellectually challenged people who were so stupid they thought he'd be a qualified, serious contender. What an attention whore. NO just go away and shut the **** up.
No big surprise here. His poll numbers plummeted after the birth certificate release and especially when people saw his reaction to getting skewered by the President and Seth Myers at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Guess that officially makes it a rump roast.
but....he would have been tough on the chicoms. obama is unbeatable at this point anyway.
I dont believe it. I need more proof. Show me his "Presidential Candidate Termination Certificate".
Why anyone would want to be President of the US after 2012 is mind boggling. Who ever it is and what ever party is in power will get the blame for the collapse of the US economy and maybe even the US itself. Of course the blame game is just the short sighted way that American's analysis politics as the real blame probably starts in the Wilson presidency and builds from there. A Trump run would have provided a lot of good comedic material and little else. My guess is that the big name Republican's pretty much know the golden goose is about cooked and there is no political will in either party to deal with the issues that face this country.
I guess Trump figured out he had milked his "candidacy" for as much publicity as he could. Now, he'll reap the remaining publicity from his exit.
He was never serious about running for President. This had nothing to do with Democrat or Republican, much less about this country. Like everything else he does, this was all about "The Donald"
Wow, I am really surprised. I thought for sure he would run rather than just running his mouth, getting free publicity, stroking his ego, telling us how impressed we would be with his real wealth, and proclaiming that he would win.
Yep. Stunned. Shocked.
On a side note, I'm really glad that we got to watch him sit there and suffer through that epic beatdown by Seth Myers at the WHCD.
What a joke. He was never a serious candidate in anyone's mind but his own. And who cares which candidate gets his support?
His arrogance never ceases to amaze me. Yes- continue your private pursuits of casinos and ripping people off of their hard earned money. You look and talk like a street thug and are not presidential in any way whatsoever.
Thanks God! He is nothing but a big mouth clown.
"I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election." you would have to be genuinely stupid to take this guy seriously.
Brought down by Seth Meyers!
I don't think much of Obama and his big-government ideas, but Trump would be a joke. Maybe the pundits were right when they said the whole thing was nothing more than publicity for his silly TV show.
From hitherto of this country history, If the old trick to use "lack of credibility" against a man of minority race to steal what rightfully belongs to him despite a reasonable pace is working as a President trying to fix a decade old mess - You bail out.
Nothing new TRUMP. The fact is you cant put your money where you BIG mouth is. lol !
Millions of supporters? Maybe including the RATS all over New York!
Now go away...........please!
This is like the fourth time he's done this lol just a publicity stunt as usual.
Darn, there goes the Trump/Palin ticket. You're fired! I quit!
That`s just one less idiot we will have to put up with this election season. I hope he doesn`t let the door him him on his way out.
The Donald is a joke.