Is billionaire and reality TV star Donald Trump serious about a bid for the White House? Trump, who was number 153 in the Forbes list of 2010’s richest 400 Americans, has been gaining support for the 2012 GOP nomination. A CNN/Opinion Research poll released Tuesday shows Trump tied with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at the top of the list of candidates Republicans are most likely to support. Both got 19 percent, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin trailed in third place with 12 percent. U.S. News blogger Robert Schlesinger suggests Trump's success is because the electorate “finds appeal in the crazy,” pointing out Trump’s recent media blitz demanding that President Obama show his birth certificate. “But let’s be serious for a moment,” Schlesinger writes. “Donald Trump is probably not running for president. In all likelihood this is a combination of ego gratification and television show promotion” for Celebrity Apprentice. [Vote now: Is Trump's bitherism just a stunt?]
But Trump upped the ante this week by suggesting in a Wall Street Journal interview that he would “probably” run as an independent if he lost the Republican primary. He said he would make his decision about running at all “sometime prior to June.” He also touted his foreign policy ideas (mostly driven by oil interests) and protested against the idea that his potential candidacy is just a stunt. "I don't need to do this for ratings on the Apprentice," he said. "Our country is not being properly led. It needs help."
What do you think? Will Trump seriously run for president? Take the poll and post your thoughts below.
Previously: Will “Romneycare” kill Mitt Romney’s chances for the 2012 GOP nomination?
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