Trump says no to presidential run in 2012

He was never a serious candidate.With him and Huckabee out the media search for a patsy they can try and put up against their hero Obama should get interesting.I think we are going to start hearing a lot about Huntsman.

...you are turning the search for the likely Republican candidate into some sort of "liberal media" conspiracy theory? 'cause there's no other possible reason we might want to know who's in the running, right?

Trump has way too much baggage to be a serious candidate. It's best that he's not involved.

The circus has ended. As everyone else said, never was a serious candidate, for more then obvious reasons. Was rather fun while it lasted though.

What's the difference between a "serious candidate" and a total, absolute clown?

In the Republican Party, the clowns poll much higher.

America is largely a nation of one-issue voters, but ironically Republican candidates can get themselves elected just by saying they "support" such issues, like "intelligent design," school prayer, 2nd Amendment (gun ownership), right to life, lower taxes, smaller government, end to school busings, etc. Then when they're elected they continue to pay lip service but seldom manage to ram through legislation that comes anywhere close to their tough talk. In the past voters were unwilling or unable to discriminate between stirring rhetoric and actual accomplishment, but their frustrations finally came to a head, and Republican moderates of the old Nelson Rockefeller school have been marginalized or driven out, and the Tea Party is attempting to take the reins. Despite this, the other day on TV political pundit George Will predicted that only two Republicans -- Mitch Daniels (Indiana) and Tim Pawlenty (Minnesota) -- had a shot at the White House. Both are fiscal conservatives, and also sensible men who eschew extreme rhetoric, although I would not put it past them to "stir the base" during the campaign. If the Republicans allow their party to get hijacked by radical ultraconservatives, we can expect a rerun of Barry Goldwater's resounding loss in 1964 to Lyndon Baines Johnson.

I think Americans said no to a Trump presidential run in 2012, and Trump is simply obliging.

Superlib......so you mean they would rather have Palen?

ihavegreat-

you know it's spelled "Palin", right? At least she can spell it correctly.

Ha! I called this! ;-)

japantoday(dot)com/category/world/view/donald-trumps-possible-presidential-bid-generating-a-lot-of-buzz#comment_935983

lostrune2 at 04:09 AM JST - 23rd April

Donald Trump wouldn't really run. Donald would drop out just before he has to open his financial books as required for candidates for the Office. Nobody really knows how rich or not he really is because he's always been loathed to disclose it.

Trump had said that he would open his financial books as soon as Obama produces his birth certificate. Well, Obama produced his birth certificate......... and weeks later, no open financial books - instead Trump quit! And where did he make this announcement? In an Upfront Conference gathering of ad timeslot buyers for his upcoming Apprentice TV season!

This whole thing was obviously a publicity stunt. Trump didn't present anything in his presidential platform other than the birther and then the Obama academic records issues. I almost feel sorry that some people took Trump so seriously, whether he was flip-flopping between being a Democrat or a Republican. Then again, some people will attach themselves to anyone who just happens to share their agenda despite anything else (just look at Trump's other lies, like saying he sent investigators to Hawaii, but nobody ever saw them). And he lied here again; he played those people for fools.

At least Trump got roasted in the White House Correspondents Dinner. If ya dish it, ya gotta take it too. And he took it up the chin. Doubt he'd pull that stunt ever again, haha.

And soon Gingrich is out as well - great news!

Gingrich is out? Did I miss something?

Whoever the republicans choose, one thing will be certain: liberals will label him or her as a racist.

RR

@RomeoRamenII,

That's so true, wish it wasn't so.

Character, principle, and merits doesn't matter, name calling seems to be acceptable even when it is not true. So immature, where are the grown-ups.

Whoever the republicans choose, one thing will be certain: liberals will label him or her as a racist.

I don't recall liberals labeling John McCain or George W. Bush as racists. I do recall hearing Glenn Beck remark that Barack Obama had "a deep-seated hatred for white people."

trium -

he will be soon. he has no chance, and cemented that in his last interviews.

virtuoso -

I don't recall liberals labeling John McCain or George W. Bush as racists.

WHAT??? Are you kidding? LOL... I guess you slept through the last 10 years.

Moderator: All readers back on topic please. The subject is Donald Trump.

Trump is out. He did show though that he Obama answers to him.

Trump apparently pulls Obama's strings.

Someone pointed out on another site that Trump may have dropped out, but his hair is still thinking of running!

So, I am glad I did not hold my breath waiting to see those tax returns! Trump has shown us all what kind of man he really is. Being a weasel has a better chance of making you rich than making you president. Heck, that still holds even if you wear a weasel as a toupee!

Trump was never serious. He has now done this dance three times. He just did it until NBC announced his show was renewed (which they did Sunday).

RR

name calling seems to be acceptable even when it is not true.

True dat. But when you are forced to back a guy who views the U.S. presidency as the first 9-5 job he's ever had his life, name calling and playing the tattered race is all liberals have got.

RR

lucky - why do you attack someone's personal appearance? That's not very liberal or tolerant.

Why would a guy who makes hundreds of millions take a job that only pays $400k? Heh, the pay cut wasn't that appealing.

Trump was never a serious candidate; however, he did set the stage for other GOP candidates to get tough on Obama. No more namby-pamby McCain niceties.

RR

He made his point.Notice how now Obama is also following Palin's lead and wants to drill in Alaska.

can't forget what seth meyers said during the dinner..

President Barack Obama is seen as a tough incumbent to beat in the November 2012 elections despite the U.S. economy’s continuing woes.

Only if you are reporter with A.P is he seen that way.

John Stewart and Stephen Colbert are seriously bummed. Trump was the gift that kept on giving.

Taka

"Only if you are reporter with A.P is he seen that way."

Heh, and not in the world of the bitter and vindictive McCain supporter that just can't let go?

Tell us something we don't know.

Trump's show Celebrity Apprentice had one of the most left-leaning audiences out there. Why anyone would want to spend 60 minutes to see if Gary Busey can eventually master the arcane art of making an ice cream cone is beyond me. But why Trump would sabotage his own show is also kinda odd. Hey - maybe Trump can make it up to the far Left by getting disgraced former front runner John Edwards on the show, if and when his legal battles end.

Trump will be known as the guy who got Obama to finally show his birth certificate.

@Romeo--

he did set the stage for other GOP candidates to get tough on Obama.

in other words, Trump made it acceptable/respectable for Republicans to flaunt anti-rational, reductionist, and divisive extremism in the shamelessly cynical hope that there are enough people in America who are dumb enough to jump on that bandwagon. Bachman or Palin may not beat Obama in 2012, but with time America's moral and cognitive strengths will weaken enough to make the future America a very very weird place, perhaps a rich man's Pakistan.

Trump will be known as the guy who got Obama to finally show his birth certificate.

LOL! The guy who proved to disbelieving morons that the State of Hawaii's birth registration document matches what they have in their official records. That's about all that Trump accomplished -- making suckers out of anyone who thought there was anything to him than an empty suit.

"LOL! The guy who proved to disbelieving morons"

LOL! yabits just called approximately half the country morons!

yabits just called approximately half the country morons!

Despite the State of Hawaii's release of the certified "long" birth certificate, there is a large percentage of self-identified conservatives who still don't accept Trump's "accomplishment."

I'd say those disbelievers are certifiable idiots. Their numbers might approach half of Trump's party, but certainly not half of the country.

Why would a guy who makes hundreds of millions take a job that only pays $400k? Heh, the pay cut wasn't that appealing.

I've always admired a man who started out in life with only a few hundred million dollars in real estate and has managed to transform that into a few hundred million dollars in real estate. The fact that so many Republicans fell for this circus barker is testimony to the depths that party has fallen. Good luck with the remaining candidates - after the mauling the Republican nomination process will inflict on them, the nominee will resemble Vladimir Komarov, post-Soyuz 1.

Trump's show Celebrity Apprentice had one of the most left-leaning audiences out there.

What is it with you and the truth? Why can't you two ever seem to meet?

Taka

I've always admired a man who started out in life with only a few hundred million dollars in real estate and has managed to transform that into a few hundred million dollars in real estate.

With the help of a couple of bankuptcies.

But that was a gut buster. Thanks.

Taka

"The fact that so many Republicans fell for this circus barker is testimony to the depths that party has fallen. Good luck with the remaining candidates..."

Given how the Republican Party is burning bridges left and right with their take-no-prisoners assault on Medicare and Medicaid, as well as Social Security, they're going to have a more trouble with finding actual support among their core constituency, the elderly, than finding a potent candidate to field.

Heh, and not in the world of the bitter and vindictive McCain supporter that just can't let go?

The article states that President Obama is a strong incumbent that will be hard to beat. The article offers nothing to back that up. I fail to see how pointing that was worthy of a personal attack on myself or opinion on A.P's reporting in this article.

I do not believe he is a strong incumbent, if you believe he is please post why. I believe the failure in his Stimulus plan, his failure in healthcare reform that he claims lowers prices but raises prices for all, his failure in closing GITMO, his failure in creating jobs, his spending spree that has loaded our future generation with nothing but debt. Tell me Sir, this makes a strong incumbent?

"Obama is seen as a tough incumbent to beat in 2012"

He's got charisma. Charisma goes a long way. It got him to the White House, and it may keep him there even if unemployment hits a new high.

"Obama is seen as a tough incumbent to beat in 2012"

As long as American Idol remains The Template he is formidable...

He's got charisma. Charisma goes a long way. It got him to the White House,

Where, What charisma? He had a slogan "Yes We Can" and a Media that parroted it. 2 years into his administration and seriously what do we really have?

2 years into his administration and seriously what do we really have?

Dumbfounded conservatives who don't have a clue, obviously.

As long as American Idol remains The Template he is formidable...

Hey LiEbermann, we loved how the eviscerating debater, Gingrich, eviscerated himself going mano-a-mano with David Gregory. LOL!

If the template is Meet the Press, the Republicans don't have a prayer.

2 years into his administration and seriously what do we really have?

Dumbfounded conservatives who don't have a clue, obviously.

I'm clueless Yabits, what do we have? Tell us, what do we really have. 3 Trillion in debt is what I see.

Tell us, what do we really have.

First of all, conservatives like yourself have a very deep emotional investment in selling themselves on the extremely foolish notion that President Obama has done nothing positive for the country. "There are none so blind..."

Secondly, to assess what we have, genuinely honest and fair-minded people have to go back and assess where we've been. In my opinion, the best place to start would be the last time the United States was faced with the real opportunity to actually pay down on our long term debt. And then, track exactly what happened to squander that enormous opportunity. It might be one of the most sobering assessments that any truly honest American could embark on.

Trump would not address those questions. He wanted to turn the clock back to the early 1960s to present a circus side-show on whether or not an elected and sitting president was actually born in the United States.

As for things that President Obama has done, we could start with restoring faith in the banking system of the U.S., giving the U.S. auto industry enough of a lifeline to see them return to making profits in just two years, reinvigorating the regulatory system that was at the very heart of the collapse of the housing bubble, enacting a health-care bill that makes providing benefits to employees in small businesses like mine much more affordable.

All that, and bin Laden too.

we could start with restoring faith in the banking system of the U.S., giving the U.S. auto industry enough of a lifeline to see them return to making profits in just two years, reinvigorating the regulatory system that was at the very heart of the collapse of the housing bubble, enacting a health-care bill that makes providing benefits to employees in small businesses like mine much more affordable. All that, and bin Laden too.

O.K. We know what bush did. What about President Obama? (snark)

Taka

3 Trillion in debt is what I see.

Trump was not going to do anything about that, nor is any other Republican candidate. Then-VP Cheney echoed the completely 180-degree turn from pre-election Republican rhetoric when he proclaimed, "Deficits don't matter."

Turn the clock back a bit to February of 2003, when folks could read this in The Hill: "As President Bush sent his budget to Capitol Hill Monday, a split opened among congressional Republicans between those who are still deficit hawks and an increasing number, including top leaders, who no longer see deficits as the touchstone of fiscal probity.

"Confronted with projected deficits until fiscal 2007, senior GOP lawmakers are backing away from long-standing rhetoric about the government’s duty to live within its means. The switch – whether from conviction, circumstance, or both – is bringing charges of hypocrisy from Democrats.

"Some lawmakers view the existence of deficits as a useful tool to keep spending down. “I came to the House as a real deficit hawk, but I am no longer a deficit hawk,” said Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). “I’ll tell you why. I had to spend the surpluses. Deficits make it easier to say no.”"

I liked the answer Trump gave years ago when a reporter said, "It's said that you're having cash-flow problems."

Trump: "Who says that? My enemies say that. I have no cash-flow problems."

First of all, conservatives like yourself have a very deep emotional investment in selling themselves on the extremely foolish notion that President Obama has done nothing positive for the country. "There are none so blind..."

President has done one of the most positives things for the country that you can ever imagine. He is proof once and for all that an African American can be elected President of the United States. I for one am grateful the country came to that point in my lifetime and proud of that fact. It is too bad that if you disagree with President Obama's policies and the direction he wants to head the country you get labeled some sort of racist. That was something I thought his election would finally end and was hoping that was to be for all Americans. As far as his overall politics I disagree with them. I do not see a better America for our children under an ever expanding nanny state but a poorer one with less opportunity and saddled with massive debt. I am talking about his policies, not Bush's, not Cheney's which as always is what Liberals here always default too. I do not see him as a strong incumbent I see him as another Jimmy Carter. Means well, but really doesn't have a clue on how to create real jobs or get our country on a track for real growth and a better future for the next generation. That is my honest opinion on our President.

trump is an idiot.

While I agree that the President knows little about job creation.....but to be so against social safety nets and labelling them "nanny states" is stupid.

Having the right to healthcare and welfare if you are struggling is just plain human decency.

It could be achieved if we cut down our bloated military spending on unnecessary bases in the world since the US has so many.

And tax the rich back to pre-Bush era.

President has done one of the most positives things for the country that you can ever imagine. He is proof once and for all that an African American can be elected President of the United States.

Trump threw some language out there that wasn't very cool: He said something to the effect of "I've always been popular with the blacks." All the while questioning the very citizenship of the president.

The "proof" as you call it, was presented to the United States by the Democratic Party -- who chose Barack Obama as their standard-bearer. Despite the proof and the language thrown out by Trump, let me tell you about a slice of my corner of America (here in the state of Georgia):

Montgomery County (pop. 9,100) -- 70% white/30% African-American is one of all too many in the South that holds a whites-only senior prom for its high school graduates. The African-Americans put on a separate prom where everyone is welcome to attend. I would call this racism in practice.

In the 2008 presidential election, Montogomery County went for the Republican candidate by a ratio identical to its racial mix. The county was therefore no way responsible for providing "proof" that the nation was ready to elect an African-American. Quite the opposite. The whites of Montgomery County are in no way unique from a lot of folks throughout the nation who support the Republican/Tea Party cause.

Nevertheless, when you say "not Bush's, not Cheney's which as always is what Liberals here always default too" -- I would reply that every leader has to play the hand he is dealt. Bush was dealt a terrific hand by Clinton, and Obama a terrible one by Bush.

Trump = chicken you know what!

trump............. YOUR FIRED, you chicken.....

That's too bad. He has a lot of experience with bankruptcy. Could have put slot machines in the Trump White house.