Donald Trump Will Not Run For President

Trump Will Not Run

May 17, 2011 - Donald Trump has been flirting with the idea of running for president for months now.  He has come out publicly and criticized President Obama for not being tough enough on China and OPEC.  He challenged Obama to release his "real" birth certificate and when he complied the real estate tycoon took credit for it.

Although Trump had previously been leading in the polls, recently his star has lost it's shine.

The Celebrity Apprentice star has decided not to seek the Republican presidential nomination.  In a statement released Monday, Trump said he had decided to focus on business instead of politics.

He made his announcement as NBC is making final decisions regarding its fall lineup.  No doubt the success of The Celebrity Apprentice influenced Trump's decision.   Some even speculate the whole situation around his intention to run was a publicity stunt to promote Celebrity.  NBC reportedly offered him $60 million for next season.

Trump is the second Republican leading in the polls to say nay to a bid for the White House.  Mike Huckabee announced Saturday that he would not be running.

In a statement to MSNB.com Trump released the following:

"For Immediate Release:
New York, New York: May 16, 2011
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
Michael Cohen
Executive Vice President and Special Counsel To Donald J. Trump"