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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This underscores the problem with having a history. Obama's strength was that he didn't have a history that the media cared about or ig was complicit in covering it up or diminishing its relevance.
So the final candidates will be those that have a palatable history or are poster politicians that are sheltered by the controlling factions.
He never had any intention of running, he just likes to hear himself talk.
Trump not running for President.............again.
And who thought he would?. What a joke.
I was hoping he and Sarah would run together, what comic relief that would be.
Good riddance! Best news I have heard all day.
Finally !! Huckaby – Gone, Trump – Gone, How do we now get Newt to go back to where ever he has been the last few years??
I knew he was never going to ran for President because he makes more money than a President. He can't exchange a million dollar salary to a hundreds of thousands a year pay check. He might even lose his hair because being a US President is not an easy job, it will even make you bald or grey just like what is happening to President Obama's hair.
While I usually refrain from adding my two cents on CNN because of the sheer number of ridiculous comments I see posted here. I will say that the ultra-conservative right-wing nutcases that saw this attempt by Trump as legitimate and not what it actually was – a publicity stunt – should really take the time to reflect on their personal and political choices. And they should also have their voting rights revoked.
Thank you Trump for saving us from your stupid adventure, But i praise you for beating drums about China and economy, you are right at those points.
Didn't see this coming at all! (eyes rolling)
Trump is a clown who has no business even thinking about politics.
Does this buffoon never stop with the self-congratulations and declarations of what a valuable asset he is to the rest of us?
While I agree that our nation has an "unsustainable debt structure," why does Trump think that this did not apply to him (google any of his financial disasters). Yes, folks, we can send the Donald a message – don't watch his show, and don't listen to him anymore. He is an embarrassment to America. Let's see who the next scary rightwingnut will be to take his place.
he NEVER had any intention of leaving the private sector because he knew that the majority of america did not take him seriously and that showed in the latest polls. this was just another ploy to garner publicity for himself and his show. what a shallow and self-centered existence that is his life.
Two gone in a matter of days. Our future looks bleak. Where, or where will our saviour come from?
He must have seen a poll where Palin was on top of him (no pun intended) and decided it was a lost cause.
I said from the start that he wasnt running. He was just trying to get us to stroke his overinflated ego. He is a simple attention wh0re, nothing more.
Trump fired himself today!
Donald not running? WHAT a surprise. He apparently has gotten all the publicity he needs at this time, and can back off on the "running for president" bit - for now. The next time he needs extra publicity, he'll be "running" again! (And winning, of course! NOT!)
The world's worst egomaniac.
This clown was NEVER going to run. All he was doing was drawing attention to himself. Seems to have worked, but not in the way he expected. Now, he's just a punchline. And, not a funny one at that.
Chump can't take the heat so he's getting out of the kitchen. It's too late though, he has already set himself on fire. Stay tuned to see what happens when you run your mouth but don't have the courage to back it up.
We all know this Bone Head will have this coming months before. Even those follower knew it but dont want to admit it.
Yawn...must me a slow news day!
Humpty Tumpty sat on a wall..........
Stupidly rich and turned richly stupid.
Pandered to the bigots just for self promotion and gratification.
You have grandiose delusions that you can be POTUS, you dont have 1% of what it takes.
Just another dufus whose moment in the sun has set.
"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."
This totally false and self-aggrandizing statement proves how uninformed he is. Every president since Clinton has worked to "get tough" on China. Then, when China was negotiating to enter WTO, the US negotiators over and over rejected China's positions, until something more balanced came out. That China has not complied with its agreements is a different matter, because big American corporations don't want to challenge in court. That is not a government problem, it is a problem for American companies to explain why they lay down like sheep and fork over their intellectual property for a pittance.
After his cussing tirade in Las Vegas at some conference, who would want him. We need a president with class. Obama aint' it, Newt ain't it and Trump ain't it. Be glad to see Obama go in 2012. What a class loser he turned out to be.