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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GREAT Decision.. Be a hero instead of a loser... .. just save your millions and donate to earthquake victims..
This Buffoon has the nerve to say he knows he would win but he just doesnt want to be President! And then goes on to say he will continue to interfere in politics! He has forfeited his right to say anything about politics and the media should make sure that he is NOT given any more air time from now on. This also goes for that airhead Palin by just abandoning her only elected post she does not have the cred to be given air time.
Trump's candidacy fell flat after the president released his birth certificate and so have the entire republican field.Also the republicans are looking for dirt on the PRESIDENT knowing full well that he is a formidable candidate to beat in 2012.the death of Bin Laden killed the candidacy of Trump,Barbour, Huckabee, Bacchman, Pawlenty and ultimately Santorum. Mitt Romney is going to be the republican scapegoat since the party knows that they have no chance of beating the incumbent.
I am not an American but oh how excited I have become about elections 2012 here in American and 2011 in my country
Obama /Biden 2012
Without any real experience in community organizing, there was just no possible way Trump could have competed with the vast experience of someone like Barack Obama!
You mean he doesn't have a billion dollars to run his own campaign?
We already knew this and so did he. Trump never had a chance in hell of getting the nodd. We need serious people to solve serious problems. Not "Carnival Barkers".
He would of had a chance if he would of stuck to the economy and how he would of done things different instead using the same tired Ronald Reagan race baiting tactics trying to stir up questions of whether the possibility of a Black Man being in the White House was some how impossible... Same as Ron Paul saying he wouldn't of voted for the Civil Rights Bill.... That only works when it seems as if Blacks have gotten the upper hand on Whites when it comes to dividing the pie. Yet since the Ronald Reagan era whites have devoured the 95% of the pie and took the other 5% to build jails and lock up the Blacks....
Mr. Trump has no time for politics. He has ruffled the feathers of a lot of liberals by forcing their obama to show his birth certificate, even when he so arrogantly thought that he did not need to do so. obama will be a one term president. The American voters have had enough of his socialist ways. 🙂
I voted for Bush twice and I also voted for Obama. That means I am open minded. No way Trump would have won.
Obama destroyed him but he was never running anyway, he is a coward, a liar, a phony and a crook....would have been the perfect GOP candidate.
Well that is sad news. I wish he contunied to run and got elected to lead the GOP to go against Obama, which will hand Dems another term in office. Too bad he bailed out. Obama will handily defeat this joker.
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 andthen file bankrupe god is all he need
And this is news? He milked the publicity cow dry so please do us all a favor and don't cover his non-candidacy endlessly.
What a BIG surprise, NOT.. Anyone that thought that TRUMP was going to run for President is clueless, he simply needed ratings for is failing TV show.
I used to like Trump believe it or not , but now all I see is a self indulgent pompous ass..
@Orchid333
"...my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country."
You are wrong! He (Trump) was ranked at the top of several polls-the polls that indicated those candidates who were most likely not to be taken seriously. This guy is a joke and the funny thing is he had a lot of serious people thinking that he was actually going to run; which is a joke in itself. Come on America, let get behind the President and make it strong again. I’m not a Democrat and I’m definitely am not a Republican, but I think that President Obama is doing a great job considering what he was faced with coming in the door. I respect the Office of the President and those who have led this country. I just don’t understand why others, who claim to be responsible and claim to love this country, continuously attempt to degrade the President.
Thank God! I was afraid this country might elect that ego-maniac. I would like to remind everyone that even Trump went bankrupt and more than once. Is this who should run this country?
What a surprise!! ......NOT !! MSNBC, had already discounted him long ago and anyone with any small presence of mind, could have figured this man is a total JOKE...and I could add many other names...but who really cares.
I agree with most of comments made, I am sure there are some nut-heads that really felt disappointed.
I do not want to hear on TV a full deliberation on the reasons and what it means.....please!!!
Wow....Really ? ! All news media orgs including CNN should be embarrassed that they were suckered by this buffoon, AGAIN. Think of all the valuable air time and print space you wasted. The US media is always an easy mark for a con man.
@Orchid333
"...my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country."
You are wrong! He (Trump) was ranked at the top of several polls-the polls that indicated those candidates who were most likely not to be taken seriously. This guy is a joke and the funny thing is he had a lot of serious people thinking that he was actually going to run; which is a joke in itself. Come on America, let get behind the President and make it strong again. I’m not a Democrat and I’m definitely am not a Republican, but I think that President Obama is doing a great job considering what he was faced with coming in the door. I respect the Office of the President and those who have led this country. I just don’t understand why others, who claim to be responsible and claim to love this country, continuously attempt to degrade the President.
He is a total joke, and his judgements in Apprentice are as well!
Reminds me of the Monty Python skit with the two knights, where one of them loses both hands and legs and callsthe other one to keep fighting and not be a coward
Thanks trump
Smartest thing this man ever did!
Too bad. I wanted him to run so he understood what rejection felt like. Goes to show you, idiots can be rich too.
seriously who does he think he's kidding.. we all know he was never going to run.. he was just trying to up the ratings for his show..