Legal Publicity Forces Trump out of Presidential Race

Well here's a first in the annals of law, media and public opinion: negative publicity of legal matters has apparently forced a candidate from the 2012 Presidential race.

On Monday May 16, Donald Trump announced his withdrawal from the 2012 campaign, just days after The New York Time’s Michael Barbaro wrote this article, providing details of litigation in which The Donald has become embroiled. Trump's unofficial campaigning for the 2012 presidential bid brought heat from journalists about his own business practices, especially his involvement as a party in over 100 different lawsuits involving Trump-branded condo developments.

In the article, which highlights Trump’s most recent involvement in litigation as a defendant to suits brought on by Florida real estate buyers, Barbaro writes:

"But regardless of whether Mr. Trump ultimately seeks the presidency, his attempt to promote himself as a savvy financial manager who can lead America out of its economic rut is bringing new scrutiny to his own business practices."

As is to be expected, The Donald is fighting back against the bad publicity (as seen here), but in terms of his presidential bid, the Florida litigation and ensuing media coverage seems to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Trump himself admitted here that "nobody said it was going to be easy, but I had no idea I would get hammered in the way I've been hammered the past few weeks."

"And so," he added, "I'm fired!"

(Ok, I added that last bit).

[Editor's Note: Due to a technical glitch, this post was delayed for several weeks].

Breaking: Donald Trump Statement 'I have decided not to pursue the office of the Presidency'

Breaking news: Donald Trump decides against running for President for the 2012 Presidential election.

Statement from Donald Trump below:

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

Trump will continue to with his "Apprentice" shows on NBC.

ABC News reports:

In the end, however, his decision almost certainly had more to do with his lucrative NBC television contract for his "Apprentice" franchise than anything else. Trump was running out of time to decide whether he would sign on for another season of the "Celebrity Apprentice." Sources close to Trump said negotiations ran to the 11th hours with reports of Trump on hourly calls with NBC executives throughout the weekend who were trying to convince Trump to continue to helm the show.

Some news reports cited NBC offering Trump as much as $60 million to renew his contract, and sources said that NBC had told Trump that the network had lined up three years worth of sponsors for "The Apprentice" -- but only with Trump's participation in the show.

Also being reported by CNN, WAPO, CBS News and The Note.

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Mike Huckabee Not Running: Trump Informed Prior To Announcement? What's Up With That?

Mike Huckabee announced last night, on his Fox Network show, that after careful consideration he would "not seek the Republican nomination for President this year."

All the factors say go, but my heart says no," Huckabee, who was considered the GOP frontrunner in several national polls, said on his Fox News Channel show.

The show is normally prerecorded before it airs at 8 p.m. ET, but Huckabee saved the last 10 minutes of tonight’s broadcast to make his announcement live.

"The past few months have been times of deep personal reflection," Huckabee said. "Even though I wasn't actively establishing a campaign organization or seeking financial support to run again, polls have consistently put me at or near the top to be the Republican nominee."

"But I know that under the best of circumstances, being President is a job that takes one to the limit of his or her human capacity," he continued. "I can't know or predict the future, but I know for now my answer is clear and firm: I will not seek the Republican nomination for President this year."

Huckabee's announcement below:



While other GOP presidential candidates and potential candidates are starting to give out reactions, in what was obviously preplanned, Donald Trump gave the post script immediately following Huckabee's announcement.



While the news of a letter sent to Huckabees inner circle made the rounds yesterday where he informed them that he couldn't tell them before the official announcement, it was obvious from the on-the-heels Trump reaction that Huckabee had informed Donald Trump prior to his live announcement.

Back in mid April it was reported that Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump had a one-on-one sit down meeting after which Huckabee stated he was left with the impression that Trump was going to run for President.

Jon Huntsman has also emailed a reaction to the news out, via Hot Air, and Huckabee and Johnson had also met previously over dinner, but the difference between after the fact email from Huntsman and the immediate on the scene statement by Trump could be indicative of more to come by way of Trump/Huckabee.

While most are reporting Huckabee's announcement with a simple mention of Trump's follow up, I am left with questions:

Will there be a Huckabee endorsement of Trump if Trump declares he is running?

Could there be a Trump/Huckabee ticket in the offing?

With Huckabee's following and Trumps knack for publicity wouldn't that just shake up the GOP field?

What are those two mischievous little rascals up to?


PS- For those that determined Trump was lying about some type of announcement after his Celebrity Apprentice finale because NBC execs said the shows were pre-taped and no announcement is in there, is this a hint of how Trump plans to announce his announcement date? With a video to be shown after his show.

[Update] Reports now say Trump had two responses prepared, one if Huckabee didn't run and one if Huckabee did.

The timing of Trump's short segment and lack of anyone else still leads me to believe that this was set up specifically so that it was Trump's face and words that were heard along with Huckabee's.

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I Don't Think Donald Trump Is Going To Run For President

I do think Donald Trump is going to announce that he is running for president.

My headline and that statement above conflict huh? They seem to be a contradiction, don't they?

Let me explain why they aren't.

Two months ago I thought Donald Trump was seriously thinking of running for president in 2012. As more times goes by, with each interview he gives, with every discussion he has with someone who then comes out and says they believe Trump will run, the less I think it is likely.

I am going to use today as an example, the screenshot below is of Memeorandum, a website that shows what political news stories are being discussed the most.



Trump is once again at the top of the political news. Almost every news outlet from Fox News to CNN is giving him air time, interview after interview. Polls are being conducted with Trump in them.

Trump. Trump. Trump.

The man knows how get publicity, he is brilliant at it.

I am going to make a few observations here that should be obvious to everyone at this point.

1) Donald Trump is disappointed in the job Barack Obama has done as President and does not want him reelected.

2) Trump knows that no potential Republican candidate will seriously discuss the "birther" issue.

3) Trump knows that there is a segment of the American population, more than 25 percent, that have doubts about Barack Obama birthplace.

Now, if you were Donald Trump, a man that can garner the type of media and blog attention (good or bad) shown above, on a consistent basis, and you knew that no serious Democratic contender was going to primary against Obama and you want Obama out of office in 2012..... what could you do, other than donating to a Republican presidential candidate's campaign, to help?

If I were a billionaire who was willing to donate tens of millions of dollars to a cause but could not directly donate it to a candidate because of pesky campaign finance laws, but could use that money in a campaign for myself, I would announce I am running.

I would use those millions to create seeds of doubt into every aspect of Barack Obama's life. I would pull as many of the 18 percent of Americans who are unsure of Obama's birthplace over to the 25 percent that already doubt where Obama was born. I would also tap into the segment of Americans that have questions about Barack Obama's education. I would continue doing this into 2012.

Then I would drop out, kick back, watch the Republican candidate of choice argue the issues such as gas prices doubling and getting closer to tripling under the Obama administration, the economy, social issues, taxes, budgets, etc... areas where the American public are already polling higher in disapproval on Obama than in approval.

"I'd love for him to produce his birth certificate so that you can fight one-on-one. If you look at what he's doing to fuel prices, you can do a great fight one-on-one, you don't need this issue."--- Donald Trump, CNN.

Trump knows a Republican candidate can fight one-on-one over the issues but Donald Trump is a business man, through and through, and a very successful one at that.

A good business man knows that if you have a 50/50 chance at winning a deal, tipping the scales in your favor, which in this case is seeing to it that Obama is not reelected in 2012, gives you a better shot at closing that deal.

So you see, I do think Donald Trump is going to announce his candidacy (Unless he thinks he has done enough damage to Obama before then) and I do think he is going to campaign like he is seriously running.

I also think he is going to pull out of the race before the GOP primaries.

Just my opinion and I could be wrong, but if I were Donald Trump, that is exactly what I would do.

PS- Followup questions... If you were a billionaire with a successful television show, businesses out the gazoo, a real estate mogul with more money than you knew what to do with, would you actually want to take on the job of running a country the size of America following a president who has done everything in his power to destroy it economically?

Would you want to go from a position of making the final decisions to having to play the political games with Congress to be allowed to get anything done?

I certainly wouldn't.

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Trump Calls Out Media For Focusing On 'Birther' Topic Instead Of Real Issues

Watch the whole video, after answering their questions, they keep going back to the Obama birth certificate issue and Trump finally points to the fact that they refuse to address issues and continue to push the birther topic.



Trump:

"...I think my strength is jobs, the economy and protecting our nation from OPEC, China and all these other countries that are ripping us off. That's my strength. The problem is every time I go on a show like, as an example, this morning, the first question you asked me is about the birth certificate.

So, I go on a show, I want to talk about how we are going to salvage ourselves from losing $300 billion this year to China and the person always asks 'Mr. Trump, lets talk about the birth certificate."

A little further into the discussion they do it again and you can hear the incredulity in Trump's voice as he points out they are still doing it!!!

This is a point I have previously pointed out, how the media pushes the story then claims Trump is "dwelling" on it or pushing it in every interview. This is also a point Sarah Palin has mentioned calling it unfair treatment of Trump.

Related:

Trump says he'll reveal ‘interesting things’ on Obama- CNN

Trump to McCain: 'You're Hired!' - Daily Beast interview with Trump by Meghan McCain

Poll: 45 percent of Republicans think Obama born out of US- The Hill.

Obama sees his approval ratings drop after launching 2012 reelection bid- The Hill.

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Video- Sarah Palin Defends Donald Trump Against Media

Short video of Sarah Palin making the point I made the other day about media outlets specifically asking Donald Trump the Obama birth certificate then using his responses to those inquiries to claim it is Trump pushing the issue.

Watch:



Text:

"Donald Trump is the one really being treated unfairly, I'd say though, in the press when their hammering him about about the one issue that he has brought up and not been shy about — that's the birth certificate. ... He's answering reporters' questions about his view on the birth certificate. And reporters turn that around and say that's all he's got.

That's not the case, Trump is running on the issue, bottom line, that President Obama is in so far over his head."


Good for Palin, one never shy about calling the media out on their behavior.

The Politico:

The former Alaska governor also credited Trump with speaking to tea party activists (he attended a tax day tea party rally in Florida last weekend). And when she mapped out the kind of candidate she’d like to see campaigning for president in 2012 — without saying if she’s leaning toward a run — Trump seemed to fit her requirements.

“We need to fight so hard going into 2012 to get somebody elected who has executive experience — who hasn't been part of this herd mentality of trying to manage the public,” Palin said.

Trump has responded to questions about Palin in the past by calling her an "amazing woman" so they both seem to have a healthy respect for each other and it is no wonder.

Both are outspoken, both have had the liberal blogosphere go all out to rip them to shreds time and time again and both have liberal's heads spinning around on their shoulders like Linda Blair in the Exorcist (yes I am dating myself there).



They both must be doing something right!!

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Donald Trump's So-Called 'Birther' Claims: The Media Continues To Bring It Up, Trump Just Responds

I just posted on the recent PPP poll showing Donald Trump with a 9 point lead among Republican primary voters over Mike Huckabee but I had a side note (more a pet peeve) that I didn't want clouded by another topic.

So, two in a row about Trump, so be it.

I keep seeing news articles claiming that Donald Trump "continues to push "birther" claims in interviews and public appearances."

This calculated attempt to mislead readers into believing that Trump is pushing the issue and not the media pushing it by asking Trump about it continuously, is starting to stick in my craw, so to speak.

Might seem like a technicality to most but that meme bugs me when from what I have seen after Trump's initial request that Barack Obama show his birth certificate, almost all subsequent mentions from Trump has been in response to someone else asking him about that initial statement or answers to questions asked of him following the initial statement.

So, in fact, it isn't Trump "pushing" the topic, it is the media pushing it and using Trump's initial question to do so.

Example: Joy Behar on The View, video below (Behar brings the topic up is at very beginning of the vid):



Joy Behar- "What about this, you recently said about President Obama and I am going to quote you 'He grew up and nobody knows who he is until later in his life, the whole thing is very strange'"

Then Trump responds, he didn't bring it up, Behar did.

From that date, until now, every time I have seen Trump address the issue it has been in response to a media personality asking him about it, not the other way around.

Yet news outlets continue to deliberately mislead their readers with examples like the one below from The Hill:

Trump has been steadily climbing in public polling and continues to push "birther" claims in interviews and public appearances. Trump has demanded that President Obama produce his birth certificate and says questions over his birthplace are legitimate.

Ummmmmmmm, WRONG.


Even writers that admittedly enjoy bantering with Trump have bought in to the meme, saying things like Trump "Dwelling on the birth certificate is not the only way he has been playing to the Republican base," ignore the reality that Trump has two choices after his initial mention of it.

1)Respond honestly how he thinks when asked or 2) Beat around the bush like most politicians refusing to answer the question directly.

Which would you rather he do?

Why doesn't the media just admit the truth here? They keep asking Trump about the "birther" issue because the story generates readers, page views and ad revenues.

Period.

They need to show a little honesty and quit with the meme implying Donald Trump is the one that continues bringing the topic up.

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PPP: Donald 'Trump Takes The Lead' With Republican Primary Voters

PPP leans to the left but if Donald Trump decides to run for president in 2012 and ends up winning the nomination, they will have been one of the first to show him in the lead among Republican primary voters.

Only 38% of Republican primary voters say they're willing to support a candidate for President next year who firmly rejects the birther theory and those folks want Mitt Romney to be their nominee for President next year. With the other 62% of Republicans- 23% of whom say they are only willing to vote for a birther and 39% of whom are not sure- Donald Trump is cleaning up. And as a result Trump's ridden the controversy about Barack Obama's place of birth to the highest level of support we've found for anyone in our national GOP polling so far in 2011.

Trump's broken the perpetual gridlock we've found at the top of the Republican field, getting 26% to 17% for Mike Huckabee, 15% for Romney, 11% for Newt Gingrich, 8% for Sarah Palin, 5% for Ron Paul, and 4% for Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty.

Among that 23% only willing to vote for a birther Trump is cleaning up even more, getting 37% to 13% for Huckabee and Palin, and 10% for Romney and Gingrich. He's a lot weaker with the 38% who say they're perfectly happy to vote for someone who's dismissed the birther theory- with them Romney leads at 23%, with Huckabee at 18%, Trump at 17%, Gingrich at 10%, and Palin at only 7%.

Full results here

PPP is still skeptical that Trump will run but if the numbers continue to trend upward for Trump, the probability goes up.


Related (Most recent to oldest from WuA):

Report: Donald Trump To Make Announcement On Presidency Run On Season Finale Of Celebrity Apprentice

Is "The Donald" Serious?

Video: Donald Trump Addresses A Range Of Issues On FOX News' "FOX & Friends": UPDATE, Trump Produces His Own Birth Certificate

Is Donald Trump A Birther? Nope

Is Donald Trump Serious About Running For President?

Donald Trump To Speak At CPAC- How Does President Trump Sound To You?

Will Donald Trump Be The One To Say 'Barack, You're Fired'?

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Report: Donald Trump To Make Announcement On Presidency Run On Season Finale Of Celebrity Apprentice

(Photoshop credit to MM of Mass.)


One of the most publicized would-be, could-be presidential candidates of the upcoming campaign season is reported to have decided to make an "announcement" about his intentions regarding running for the position of President of the United States in 2012.

On the final episode of the popular TV reality show, Trump "plans to give an announcement date" for his decision on whether he'll make a formal bid for the Republican presidential nomination, senior Trump adviser Michael Cohen confirms to CNN.

The season finale of "Celebrity Apprentice" airs May 15. In numerous interviews with CNN and other organizations, Trump has said he'll make a decision on a White House bid by June.

According to a NewsMax exclusive, Donald Trump's announcement on the Apprentice will be that he is holding a special press conference at the Trump Tower in New York a few days after the finale, where he will officially announce that he is running for President for 2012.

Last November we asked if Trump would be the candidate to say "Barack, You're Fired", we have also seen numerous interviews where he detailed the issues he sees facing the American economy as well as other issues and we have asked if readers thought Trump was serious and if so would they vote for him.

Wake up America contributor, Gemimail aka Paul, recently addressed that very same question and believes Trump is serious and that Donald Trump would be Obama's worst nightmare:

Okay, assume for a moment that our analysis is right and Trump is very serious. Why is he doing this? Is it just for the attention and to prove he can get elected? Those are surely part of his reasons. How about because Trump is convinced that his businesses will go down with the ship of the country if the economy is not fixed and soon? Trump is convinced he can straighten out the mess and save his businesses from going over the cliff. He has convinced himself that he has no choice but to try because he is convinced no one else has a clue about how to fix things so that leaves him. Since he can fund the campaign out of his assets, raising money is not a problem and he can match Obama dollar for dollar. The Obama folks are gleeful at the thought of Trump as the Republican candidate. We suggest that he is more likely to be their worst nightmare.

Donald Trumps negatives are the exact same as his positives and I personally do not think any other candidate can make that claim.

He is not a career politician so he has not had to deal with Senate votes or running a state which means he is not beholden to anyone and doesn't give a damn about "political correctness" where other politicians say one wrong word and all of a sudden they are spouting out apologies left and right.

He is a business man who refuses to apologize for his success, refuses to apologize for his good fortune, demonized by socialists for being the epitome of capitalism, yet the country is drowning in debt and the administration has no clue how to turn around the massive deficit nor do they have guts to do what needs to be done to control Washington's out-of-control spending.

He has stated many times that unlike previous administrations he would not surround himself with people that are book smart and supposedly, in theory, know what they are doing but would instead surround himself with people with life experience who have proven themselves.

Trump has a rough, tough, don't mind getting dirty personality, which at times verges on outright cockiness, but having a "hope and change" personality doesn't guarantee a good president (just look at the spectacular failure of Obama!).

If Trump decides to run, the latest polls shows he is tied for lead in Republican support with Mike Huckabee but winning the GOP nomination is but the first hurdle.

Should Trump run and should he win the Republican nomination, would the general public vote for him in larger numbers than they would give Obama for his reelection bid?

I guess it would come down to whether the public truly understands the enormity of America's economic problems.

Donald Trump believes he already has the answer to that question and I quote him from an interview I saw recently.

"Americans are smart"- Donald Trump

PS- I ask myself two questions when I think of Donald Trump.

1) Would I want to sit down to dinner with him? Well I have been around enough brash New Yorkers to know an evening with one isn't high on my list of things to do, though I doubt I would turn him down. ( I like good food!)

2)Would I hand Donald Trump all my money knowing he would make me more? Damn straight I would. In a second flat!

America is in deep financial trouble, so in my mind the question is "who is best equipped to dig us out of the hole?"

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Is "The Donald" Serious?

[Update 4/14/11] Donald Trump To Make Announcement On Presidency Run On Season Finale Of Celebrity Apprentice

The one word answer is yes. We believe Trump is very serious and plans to announce his candidacy once his television show finishes the season. Now before you instantly proclaim that this is just a publicity stunt consider that this theory does not explain what he has done so far. We have been involved in many political campaigns as even a candidate five times (won four out of five) and as a congressional campaign manager a few times. If Trump had asked our advice (he hasn't), we would advise him to do exactly what he is doing. You need to get the attention of the base of the Republican Party on issues that resonate with them. You need to convince the base that you are one of them. If this was a publicity stunt he would not being wooing the evangelicals. These folks are hardly an audience for his television show or his business deals.

For a candidate with no previous political experience, you have to do what the other candidates with such experience have been taught never to do. You have to take the bull by the horns and do things that the other candidates would not touch with a mile long pole. The "birther" issue is a case in point. No one else would touch that issue because the mass media has made mincemeat out of anyone who has tried to make an issue of it. Thus those people cannot get the time of day from the mass media. They are not "The Donald". He is just about the only person on the planet who can push the issue and make the media cover it precisely because he is "The Donald". Right away he breaks out of the pack by doing something they would never do. Of course, anyone else doing this would kill any chances of their winning any election. Trump only gets a huge jump with the Republican primary voters by doing this.

Many of you will say that even if this view is correct, he has killed his chances in the general election with this "stunt". You are assuming that Trump will continue to push the idea that Obama was not born in the United States and that it was the biggest con in the history of the world. Well it was the biggest con in history but not because Obama was not born in Hawaii. It does not matter whether Obama was born in Hawaii or not because even if he was born in Hawaii and he probably was, he is not a natural born citizen of the United States as required by the Constitution. Native born is not the same thing as natural born. Being born in the United States makes you a native born citizen even if both your parents are citizens of Mexico. That is the whole thing behind the anchor baby issue.

You have to have both parents be citizens of the United States to be natural born and you can be natural born even when your were not born in the United States. John McCain was born in Panama but both of his parents were U. S. citizens so he is still a natural born citizen. Obama's father was a British and/or Kenyan citizen so there is no way Obama can be a natural born citizen. You can bet that Trump knows this difference and will pivot to this position later in the election process after he has milked the "not even native born" issue for all it is worth. In the meantime, he has the mass media playing right into his hands because they are giving him unprecedented coverage thinking they are destroying him over the "ridiculous" birther issue. However, that same coverage allows him to tear Obama to ribbons on every other issue under the sun. This is a brilliant public relations ploy but what else would you expect from a man who is a master of publicity?

When the dust settles, Trump will have a reputation of being willing to take any issue right to Obama and make the mass media cover it. You can ignore any other contender on any particular issue but it is hard to ignore "The Donald" on any issue. As Trump continues to hammer on all of the things that have gone wrong in this country and tie Obama to every one of them whether deserved or not, he will point out that his background gives him the experience to "fix" these problems. Right now the economy is the big issue and Obama's ratings on his handling of the economy are in the toilet. Along comes Trump and says I believe I know something about economics so you can believe me when I tell you I know how to fix these problems. Is that so hard to believe? Trump has proven he knows how to do business and Obama looks like he has no clue because he has no track record in business.

Okay, assume for a moment that our analysis is right and Trump is very serious. Why is he doing this? Is it just for the attention and to prove he can get elected? Those are surely part of his reasons. How about because Trump is convinced that his businesses will go down with the ship of the country if the economy is not fixed and soon? Trump is convinced he can straighten out the mess and save his businesses from going over the cliff. He has convinced himself that he has no choice but to try because he is convinced no one else has a clue about how to fix things so that leaves him. Since he can fund the campaign out of his assets, raising money is not a problem and he can match Obama dollar for dollar. The Obama folks are gleeful at the thought of Trump as the Republican candidate. We suggest that he is more likely to be their worst nightmare.

Video: Donald Trump Addresses A Range Of Issues On FOX News' "FOX & Friends": UPDATE, Trump Produces His Own Birth Certificate

[Update 4/14/11] Donald Trump To Make Announcement On Presidency Run On Season Finale Of Celebrity Apprentice

[Update below post] Trump produces his own birth certificate.

I love this guy. Whether Donald Trump actually runs for President in 2012 or not, he is paving the way for any Republican candidate, handing them platform upon platform on issues ranging from China, OPEC, spending, debt, Libya and yes, even the whole controversy surrounding Barack Obama's birth certificate.

Video below, via RCP:



As I asked back in November 2010, will Trump be the one to say "Barack, You're Fired?"

Interestingly, when the topic of the Obama birth certificate comes up, Trump, once again, is not the one that approaches the topic, he is asked about it first.

Same thing happened on The View when that discussion made the news.

[Update] Newsmax exclusive: Donald Trump produces his own birth certificate to Newsmax.

“It took me one hour to get my birth certificate. It’s inconceivable that after four years of questioning, the President still hasn’t produced his birth certificate. I’m just asking President Obama to show the public his birth certificate. Why’s he making an issue out of this?"---- Donald Trump

Hysterical. I swear, I love this guy.

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Is Donald Trump A Birther? Nope

[Update 4/14/11] Donald Trump To Make Announcement On Presidency Run On Season Finale Of Celebrity Apprentice

"I want him to show his birth certificate. I want him to show his birth certificate. There's something on that birth certificate that he doesn't like."-- Donald Trump, ABC's The View

Video of Trump making that statement and more will be at the end of the post.

Donald Trump is ruffling some feathers as he questions why Barack Obama refuses to produce a birth certificate.

When asked why he thinks Obama should have to, he responds "because I have to and everybody else has to."

Right there is the whole point. Many of us believe Barack Obama is a citizen, was born in America but as I asked early on when this first became an issue, "why not just show it and put this issue to rest?"

Da Techguy's Blog makes this point:

My wife is starting a new job, we will be getting new insurance because of it. We are REQUIRED to provide not only our marriage certificate but the long form copies of the birth certificates of both of our children.

Having to produce a birth certificate is not an irregular occurrence for the average person so when Trump says this to the general public, they understand it.

Does it make Trump a "birther" to want to see the actual document and find out what the big deal about producing it has been about?

Unlike many birthers I have seen and read up on, Trump states he believes Obama is "probably" American born and I think Trump falls into a middle category, not a birther but questioning that something, whatever it may be, is being hidden.

Trump is not coming out and saying Obama is not American born, he also is showing no fear of saying "show the damn thing" and that middle ground is what separates Trump from birthers but also helps Trump distinguish himself from those that will not address the issue at all.

For many, it isn't a question of whether Obama was born in Hawaii or not, at this point people just want to see why Obama has refused to produce it.

Trump is not a birther but he is a very smart man to address the issue in this manner, admit Obama was probably born here but claim that something "strange" is going on because Obama won't produce the one simple document that would make this whole issue disappear in a heartbeat.

That will resonate with many.

Is Donald Trump Serious About Running For President ?

[Update 4/14/11] Donald Trump To Make Announcement On Presidency Run On Season Finale Of Celebrity Apprentice

Video below of an interview with Donald Trump, discussing a large range of issues.



He loves America, likes Palin, says the Tea Party has common sense, gives his opinion on other contenders, speaks about piracy, foreign affairs, his own ability to spend $600 million on a campaign and much more.

Couple questions for those that watched the video above:

1.: Is Trump serious?

2.: If Trump does run, would you vote for him?

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Donald Trump To Speak At CPAC- How Does President Trump Sound To You?

[Update 4/14/11] Donald Trump To Make Announcement On Presidency Run On Season Finale Of Celebrity Apprentice

(Photoshop credit to MM of Mass.- Click to enlarge)

Update below post on what Trump said at the CPAC.

We asked back in November if Donald Trump would be the one to say "Barack, You're Fired," and from seeing his recent interviews and the news that Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) it is beginning to look like he may very well run for President in 2012.

Trump has expressed his disgust with how the country has been run on multiple occasions and has not been shy in offering his expert business opinion on how to turn America's economy around, create jobs and lower the deficit.

His latest interview from February 9, 2011 on Piers Morgan's show, uploaded to YouTube by bettykk887. The meat and potatoes of the interview, politically, is in part one, shown below.

Donald Trump Interview on Piers Morgan Tonight (February 09 2011)

TRUMP: We don't have free trade. You know I believe in free trade, right? But we don't have free trade. We have very, very unfair trade. I call it unfair trade. I would tax them 25 percent. They would come to the table immediately.

The other thing I'd do is I'd get our best business leaders. I wouldn't use the diplomats. I'd use the killers on Wall Street of which I know every one of them. I would put this one in charge of negotiating with China. I'd put this one in charge of negotiating with India. We would do very well. We have the greatest business people in the world but we're not using them.

MORGAN: But you know --- before we go to a break, let me just put one thing to you. In business, you can be ruthless. I've seen it and you're successful because of it. You kill competitors, don't you? Aren't the Chinese just behaving like Donald Trump? And don't we just need more people like you to compete with them?

TRUMP: You need to have people that know how to deal with the Chinese. And we don't have those people. The president of China comes in, we give him a five-star dinner at the White House.

I don't give my people that are not fair to me five-star dinners. I wouldn't have given him a five -- I would have said come to my office, let's talk. And if we don't work out a deal we send him to McDonald's and send him back.

The complete transcript from last night's interview can be found at CNN.

Readers interested in learning more about Donald Trump can go to www.shouldtrumprun.com and read up on his latest interviews and his political stances.

Recent polling has shown that even without an announcement on whether Trump will really run for president in 2012, he already shows strongly as being able to beat Obama.

Obama's polling on economic issues such as taxes, deficit and the economy, is falling fast and he is getting his lowest approval ratings to date in those areas.

The exact areas Trump excels at.

This is not the first time trump has flirted with the possibility of running for President but his interviews and recent actions indicate he may seriously be considering running against Barack Obama in 2012.

The highlighted comments of Trumps are only a portion of the information out there on his stances on a variety of topics. In another interview published in January 2011, he has expressed opinions on presidential image, domestic violence, Korea, OPEC, Afghanistan, Iraq, and more.

The more I read, the more I watch, the more I like Donald Trump. No doubt he can be a hard ass, but with our country floundering economically, borrowing and spending like drunken sailors, disrespected by the world, a hard ass might just be what we need to turn things around.

We need jobs. We need to control spending. We need revenue without taxing our citizens more than they already are taxed.

We do not need to be "liked" at the expense of the above aforementioned.

Donald Trump seems to understand that and I am beginning to hope he decides to run against Barack Obama in 2012.

(I can see the campaign commercials now- Trump pointing his finger at the camera saying "Barack, You're Fired!!!!")

[Update]ABC News and NYT highlight some of Trumps comments at the CPAC.

NYT:

He bragged that he had beaten “many people and companies” and “earned billions of dollars,” earning him the title of the world’s most competitive businessman, he said. He contrasted himself with President Obama, who he said “came out of nowhere.”

“With no track record. There was no record. Nothing to criticize,” Mr. Trump said. “Nobody knew who the hell he was.”

Mr. Obama has turned America into the “laughing stock” of the world, Mr. Trump said. “The United States has become a whipping post for the rest of the world.”

By contrast, he said that a President Trump would move quickly to restore respect of America. He said he is pro-life, against gun control and will work to repeal Mr. Obama’s health care plan.

“If I decide to run, I will not be raising taxes,” he said. Under his administration, Mr. Trump said America will be “taking in hundreds of millions of dollars from countries that are screwing us.”

ABC News:

He laid out his policy viewpoints in straightforward terms: “I’m pro-life. I’m against gun control, and I will fight to end Obamacare and replace it with something that makes sense for people in business and not bankrupt the country.”

Trump added, “If I decide to run, I will not be raising taxes.” He also pledged to help America re-gain a competitive advantage with China and other countries that he said “are screwing us.”

He said, “I’ve always been told that a person of great accomplishment or achievement cannot become a politicians or run for political office” saying that they most people who fall into that category – and he certainly seemed to be including himself – don’t want that kind of scrutiny.

“That is the kind of person that the country needs and we need it now,” Trump said. “This country is in serious trouble.”

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Will Donald Trump Be The One To Say 'Barack, You're Fired'?

[Update 4/14/11] Donald Trump To Make Announcement On Presidency Run On Season Finale Of Celebrity Apprentice

(Photoshop credit to MM of Mass.- Click to enlarge)

"I'm a Republican so if I did anything, I'd do it, I guess, as a Republican. I'm totally being serious because I can't stand what's happening to the country. First time I am being serious about it. I've been asked for years to do it. And I had no interest. This is the first time I am -- at least I'm considering it. That doesn't say I'm going to do it ... but I am seriously considering it."--- Donald Trump

In early October TIME reported that real-estate mogul Donald Trump's name had been mentioned in a New Hampshire poll that was testing names for the 2012 presidential bid and while Trump was not behind the testing of his name, he was quite interested to see what those results were and heard they were "amazing."

Trump: "Well, I have never run for president. I really like the people of New Hampshire because they're strong people, they're intelligent people, they know what's happening to this country is wrong. So I can understand why I did well in a poll. You still haven't told me what well means. I don't know. What does well mean because I haven't seen this poll?"

Chetry: "You know, they've basically said that, these sources from the call, said that these residents received in a telephone poll questions, multiple questions, some 30 questions about you when it comes to a 2012 Republican candidate. Would that be something that you would seriously consider?"

Trump: "Well it's certainly not something I've talked about or would consider but I will say this, somebody has to do something or this country is not going to be a very great country for long."

Since then speculation has run rampant and interviews with Trump have shown him to have ideas about what could strengthen America's economy, such as bringing manufacturing back to employ Americans, taxing imports to our country, China's rebuilding their economy on America's back and laughing at us at the same time, etc...

Video below, Neil Cavuto and Donald Trump "China is laughing at us"



Trump self identifies as a Republican but according to the New Hampshire poll conducted, they informed respondents that he has been known to donate to Democratic candidates as well.

"I think my whole life has sort of been about finesse when you get right down to it. I mean it's -- what running a country is, is to a certain extent we have to bring principle back and we have to also bring common sense back. We have no common sense. We have no common sense. And we're losing this country. Mark my words, if we keep going this way, we're losing this country. It will no longer be great. It's not respected to anywhere near what it used to be."-- Donald Trump (Source)

Recent news articles show that Donald Trump has stated he will probably make his decision by June 2011 on whether or not he will run for president in 2012 and could easily spend $200 million of his own money to do so.

Asked about the possibility of going up against another well known name, Sarah Palin, in 2012, Trump said "she's very interesting. And don't underestimate her. I mean, I see what she does. I would take her on. I like her, but I'd take her on."

Trump has been critical of Barack Obama's agenda as he was a frequent critic of both Bush's during their presidencies, his criticisms seem to transcend any one political party and have been offered quite candidly in the past.

"Would I rather be in the race or not be in the race? I can tell you, I love what I'm doing. I'm having a great time what I'm doing. I'd rather not be in the race. But it could be fun because I'd like to see some positive things happen for the country."-- Donald Trump (Source)



Not willing to wait for Trump to decide one way or another, there are those that are attempting to create a "grass roots" movement to convince Trump to run in 2012, creating a website called "Should Trump Run", where you can take polls, sign up for the movement, Facebook and Twitter links made available and also a link to show how to get involved with this movement.

Join me in creating a grass roots movement designed to save the greatest democracy in the world. Our country is heading down a dangerous path. I ask you to help me urge Donald Trump to throw his hat into the political ring. Our elected officials are mortgaging away our future by spending money that we do not have and in the process, creating unsustainable deficits. We need to stop the bleeding now and Donald Trump will help to heal our economic wounds. We cannot afford to allow foreign countries to take advantage of us, improve their economies and leave our citizens without jobs. Donald Trump will even out the playing field and develop a legitimate plan to reign in our massive trade deficits.

Vote Now And Join The Movement!

Interestingly enough the domain name Trump2012.com is already registered and the site shows as being under construction.

More about Trump's life and career can be found here.

So, will Donald Trump be the person to say "Barack, You're Fired!! in 2012?

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