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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What a joke you are, Trump!!! I know... you were hoping to be able to say "You are fired" to all of those incompetent people in Washington, eh?
Arrogancy doesn't pay, because skills..I don't see.. Clown!
Meyers said it best: Trump was never running as a republican; he was running as a joke.
Thank God, he is gone now.
Perfect company for Gary Bussey, Meatloaf, and Jose Canseco. All equally qualified presidential candidates.
haha looser!!
It's because he knew he couldn't run sucessfully as a Republican... only as a joke. š Later!
hahahahahahaha this was all just for ratings for celebrity apprentice
I've said it before and I'll say it again... TRUMP IS A CHUMP.
He's soooo embarassing!
trumpnew this all along....the media took hook line and sinker,,,,the news out lets were punked...
No crap he wasn't going to run... He's not a real republican and he can't run as a democrat
His popularity based on latest poll information is in the single digits, and I believe below Sarah Palin. He knows he can't win, and his ego definitely can't handle the thought of being a loser. In typical Donald fashion, he tries to state what the future would have been, and we're supposed to take his word for it, but when it comes time to prove it, he comes up woefully short.
The only supposed billionaire that brags about his wealth. Can anyone imagine Warren Buffett or Bill Gates bragging in such a disgraceful manner? They do good things with their wealth rather than talk about it.
Wow, first smart move he has made!
Was anyone expecting a different outcome? ZZZZZZZZzzzzzZzzzz....
Every president has had there flaws, so it only makes sence that the presidential hopefuls have several. I was kind of hoping that he would kick out the CEOs that allow corporations to steal tax bucks from us.
By His own reasoning, Trump is declining the Presidency.
Such a joke, so easy to tell others what they should do or not. So easy to critics without getting your hand dirty. He just use journalist to make free advertising for his boring tv show.
Oh ya, this liar said he would release his financial information when Obama released his birth certificate....well?
LIAR !
I knew he wouldn't run... you would have to be crazy to be in this mans shoes and even consider running. After I heard his epic 24 F Bomb speech, that was enough to convince me of his resignation as a legitimate candidate. As I was saying all along, this was simply Donald Trump being Donald Trump. He loves being a public figure, good or bad, it makes his endorphins flow in the morning. Once you give this man the slightest bit of media attention, your off to the races with this moron. He is just as likely to be the first man to step food on mars has he is to be president.
What a clown. He was never going to run for president. He kept saying "I think you will be surprised by my decision." No, Donald, we are not surprised. You are a publicity whore and when your latest scheme ran its course, you had no choice but to move on. Now if you would take your joke of a show and go away we would all be better off.
Wipe that egg off your face, CNN. But Trump says thank you for all the free PR and advertising!
Trump: "I could have easily won, but I am not going to run....." That is what I always say about the NYC Marathon
āWait, but he did not tell us if he called the investigatĀors back from Hawaii. You know, the investigatĀors that he sent, to Hawaii, to investigatĀeā¦. Those investigatĀors ā¦ No fun trump :(ā
I guess Bill Cosby was right the only thing he was running was his mouth.
Yes, Trump... please do let us know which candidate you'll be supporting... so we can all vote for the other one.