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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Its funny how he says he would win the primary and the general election when recent polls show he doesn't even show up in double digits any more against an incredibly weak Republican list. His ego would have never allowed him to be put in a position to lose and lose badly. Good riddance!
Could it be because the latest poll numbers show that he couldn't possibly win? Anyone with half a brain knew he would not run. He couldn't even hardly fire Gary freakin' Busey from his lame TV show! How could he possibly run our country successfully?!?! LOL.
Nobody with half a brain actually thought he was going to run. Just get a lot of publicity. He's a carnival barker.
And no one is suprised...
"Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!"
– Pyle, Gomer USMC (1965)
The job was too tough for The Donald!
He would have NEVER put his holdings in a blind trust! He is too much of a control freak.
P.S. Remember to watch Celebrity Apprentice on NBC!
Did anybody really think this guy was going to run? If so, I have a bridge to sell you.
His accounant told him he would need to file chapter 11 before he could use any of his supposed 2.7 billion. He was never serious anyhow, he has always been too busy running casino's into the ground!
Did anyone seriously believe that Trump would run?
what a joke
Are we really surprised? I hope now the media will start hyping folks who are just trying to get attention for their celebrity!!
I wonder how he is going to spin this and have the media follow him like the Pied Piper they can be!!! Idiots!!! Focusing on folks like him waste attention on more important news!!!
That's too bad. He may not be completely out of touch with reality as he seemed to be.
I TOLD YOU SO
My Next Prediction:
In the end, The Donald will throw his support to President Obama!
Trump wrote, “I look forward to supporting the candidate who is the most qualified to help us tackle our country's most important issues…”
Well I have some great news for you Donald; we already know this candidate’s name – President Barack Obama!
Ha ha – YOU'RE FIRED!
It the same comments he would have been making if he had ran for president. That he is returning to private business.
I would have voted for Trump. In my opinion, I believe with the financil situation we are in we would be better off with a business man in office than some of these quack jobs pushin personal agendas. Food, shelter, and medical access overshadow anything else these idiots in D.C. want to talk about. What we need to do is STOP giving tax payer dollars to other countries and worry about ourselves for a minute. We wouldnt be in debt if we werent giving away money we didnt have in the first place.
Well thank God Trump decided to back out. I mean really...he had absolutely zero community organizing experience! How the heck did he expect to compete?
Well, at least he figured out that he had absolutely no chance to win before subjecting us to considerably more nonsense. It's a shame though, that the Republicans did not get to nominate someone so catastrophically bad, not because I want the Democrats to keep the Presidency in 2012, although I do, but so that Republicans can have some sort of catharsis and realize that as a party they are essentially insane, and fix that, before we end up with a President that will make the most recent Bush look like Lincoln.
Ooooh...big surprise. This guy is so delusional that he still thinks he's at the top of the polls among Republican contenders and that "millions of Americans" are supporting him. Apparently if he says it enough it will make it true...hmmm kinda sounds like weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. We can all sleep well at night knowing that this kook will continue to voice his opinions and help shape politician's thoughts! The really scary thing about this farce was that there were people out there even nuttier than he is that would vote for this clown.
Darn! This would have been great comedy. Hopefully he will become a third party candidate and siphon off republican votes. That will be justice for all of the wanna be republican candidates that kept their mouth's shut when he was spouting nutty junk about birther nonsense.
There is hope though. We still have Newt and Rick "God's chosen warrior" Santorium. Maybe crazy Michele Bachmann will throw her hat into the ring. This still has the makings of good comedy.
Surprise, surprise the president u do not talk alot u is quiet won my vote again for 3 more yrs fearless do not have to have money andthe file bankrupe god is all he need
He realized there was no way he could run a country AND take care of his "hair."
After the embarrasement he suffered when the president ridiculed him, he realized he is no more than a vulgar wealthy clown.