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iVillage 5
Donald Trump for president in 2012? Is it in the stars?
The Donald himself isn't ruling it out -- but this isn't the first time the billionaire business giant has said he would seek to land himself in the Oval Office. As CNN's Christopher Byron notes, "For more than 20 years, he's been periodically popping out of the bushes to declare that he 'might' be running for president of the United States, or that he's 'considering' it, or even considering it 'very seriously,' or (his ultimate statement of intent) really thinking about it 'more seriously than ever before.'"
As Trump told Fox News in October of last year, "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."
Seriously?
Trump has hit the headlines most recently for his support of the "birthers," the group of people who claim that President Obama was not born in the United States and therefore is not eligible for the presidency. Trump told the ladies on The View last month, "Why doesn't (Obama) show his birth certificate? I want him to show his birth certificate!"
Powerful Republicans have distanced themselves from the birthers, and Karl Rove even stated that Trump has joined "the nutty right" -- a sentiment that Trump himself scorns.
As the moment approaches where he will need to declare his candidacy (he says it'll be during the Celebrity Apprentice's May 22 season finale -- shocker!), Trump appears to be getting more specific about what his platform would be. On Tuesday, he even sat down today with NBC's Savannah Guthrie on the Today show to talk about the possibility of running. Watch the interview below:
In the interview, Trump blames Obama for America's current economic woes, suggesting that he may go down in history as the United States' worst president ever. Trump also bashes Congressman Paul Ryan's 2012 budget proposal, which has come under attack from all sides since being released two weeks ago. His strategy for remedying the deficit? Fix the world, rather than tweaking the budget. "The world is just destroying our country," he says. "These other countries are sapping our strength. OPEC is sapping our strength. We can't pay $108 a barrel (for) oil."
Trump also claims that he would not raise the debt ceiling, and that as president he would focus mainly on bringing jobs back to the United States. He states that he would not touch Medicare or the defense programs, saying, "I am the strongest Republican on that issue."
Cynics wonder if this is all a publicity stunt, created to help drive up viewership of Trump's hit show The Apprentice, and there is much curiosity about Trump's finances. Any presidential candidate needs to release his financial statements within 30 days of declaring his candidacy, and Trump says that the results will surprise a lot of people (hint: he claims his net work well exceeds the estimated $2.7 billion). He would bankroll his own campaign. "I have a lot of cash, so I can do it," he says.
Trump is equally as confident in his skills should he actually win the election. "I think I'm Presidential," Trump said on Today. "I have a very high aptitude, I always did good, I was a good student." Whether he's the man America needs in the White House is another matter.
