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Donald Trump 'Tempted' to Run for President, Will Speak at CPAC

2 years ago
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Does he mean it this time? Billionaire Donald Trump, the New York-based real estate tycoon and dealmaker, says he is very tempted to run for president as a Republican in 2012 and will decide whether to do so by June.

"I am seriously thinking about it," Trump said on CNN Wednesday night. "I love this country. I hate what's happened to this country. We are a laughingstock throughout the world. We're not respected."

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Trump declared China an "enemy" of the United States and vowed that, if elected president, he would impose a 25 percent tax on all Chinese products. "They want to take over this country economically. They are not really out-competing. They are cheating" by manipulating currency, he said. "They are not our friends."

As president, Trump said he would replace U.S. diplomats with "business leaders" -- the "killers on Wall Street, of which I know every one of them." His people, he said, would not only confront the Chinese but OPEC, which could send gasoline prices to "five, six, seven dollars pretty soon because there's nobody here that calls them and says, 'Fellas, you better not do it.' "

Trump said he liked President Obama personally but believed the Democrat was in over his head at the White House.

Perhaps signaling his seriousness about a possible run, Trump planned to speak Thursday at the opening of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington. The annual event offers a platform for would-be Republican presidential candidates.

Trump flirted with running for president in the 1988 and 2000 campaigns, but didn't follow through. He is unlikely to make any announcement until the current season of his hit show, "The Apprentice," ends on NBC this spring. Financing a campaign would likely not be a problem for Trump, who boasts he has made "hundreds of deals."

Watch Piers Morgan's interview with Trump on CNN.



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47 Comments

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golfer939

I wonder what Trump would do to put people back to work. The country has tried the business approach to moving the country forward but that doesn't work. If you let business have a free hand ,with no regulation, their greed for
more and more profit will destroy the country. Wall street and big business only care about the bottom line, they
don't care if all our jobs are out sourced. The Republicans for eight years had their , pro-business with little regulation, way with country and look what happened, the country will be in the hole for the next ten years if not more.

March 21 2011 at 4:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Laura

oh i would vote for him and I'm a dem! Someone finally with a bit of sense running on the ticket sounds great! Sounds like the person we need, someone that understands that china isn't our ally and we should take over the oil in Iraq after all to the victor goes the spoils! I love it! Better than just leaving with nothing but debt. I would love to see this global trade become a lot more fair than what it is now with US companies fleeing by the hoardes, He understands economics and I don't care how many times he's filed bankruptcy because even bankruptcy is some business strategy towards recovery.

March 17 2011 at 7:45 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
hottblnd

I think he would be great. Having professional politicians has not done much for this country. Trump has international experience, a logical brain, and the ability to get the job done. What we have now is horrible. It baffles the mind that a president was elected with such little experience. What corporation, especially the largest in the world, would hire the new guy to run it? At least Trump would take the emotion out of it!

March 11 2011 at 4:10 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
mj1sledge

Let's be serious, The DONALD for President?? This is a real joke, he of the foolish hairdo. I hope he don't get a gust of wind outside, he may get whiplash due to the hair spray in his pompador. He has a history of businesss dealings as well as many bancruptcies, he did parlay his daddy's bucks into a fortune but he won't be able to utter "YOU"RE FIRED" to the head of State he may have to deal with. As for telling China to get lost they could call in the U.S. njootes and bancrupt our country.

February 11 2011 at 3:51 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
cslyxoxo

Our country is not a toy

February 10 2011 at 8:34 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
dc walker

...I like Donald Trump but he would have to deal with a congress of 535 people and foreign diplomats, military etc. A man who has had real power won't step down to be a politician.

February 10 2011 at 7:26 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
PS4sure

How's that $50,000.00 donation to Rahm Emanuel going there Trump? This is all a stunt for a narcissistic publicity hound !!!!!!!

February 10 2011 at 3:39 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
exnyorker

If Greater Fort Lauderdale is representative of Donald Trump's expertise and acumen, let's look at his record in South Florida. The Trump Ft Lauderdale Beach is an vacant high-rise shell, scheduled to have opened last year- empty and mired in litigation. Another promised project in Fort Lauderdale, the Trump Las Olas is a huge empty blighted lot and never even got off the ground. The only Trump project operating in South Florida is the Trump Hollywood, which lenders foreclosed on in November of last year. This is only the tip of the iceberg of Mr. Trump's recent financial fiascos.

February 10 2011 at 2:15 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
vrosen

dealmaker and tycoon, if it weren't for his dad, (the real tycoon) he would be an absolute nothing. his father, the real developer,not only put him in the big time, but provided him with the money to self promote himself. the king of opm. (other peoples money.)

February 10 2011 at 2:07 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
Richard

Any Republican other than Palin, Huckabee, Barbour, Bachmann, or Guiliani would be interesting to Democrats looking to cross over. Otherwise, four more years, baby. When you pander to your base, you will miss the majority in the middle.

February 10 2011 at 2:01 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Richard's comment
tistolaugh

It's interesting to not that none of the candidates you mention have even confirmed they are running, and you left out several other very viable possibilites. Remember, the right does not need many left cross-overs, they need the Independent vote who decide elections, and many of whom have been running fast and far from Obama since electing him.

February 10 2011 at 2:31 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
kitty022

I don't need an interesting republican to cross over. Obama took care of that. I've never been more disgusted with our government than I have been the last 3 years. Another 4, and I may pick up my family of 5 and move to England.

February 23 2011 at 11:24 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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