Trump Is Out: 'My Business Is My Greatest Passion'
Real estate mogul/reality TV star Donald Trump has decided not to run for
the Republican presidential nomination next year. Although he believes he
would win the nomination and the general election, his heart rests in his
business endeavors, he said in a statement this afternoon announcing what he
said was a tough decision.
“After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to
pursue the office of the presidency,” Trump’s statement said.
“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.”
But after campaigning unofficially for months, Trump said he has come to
realize that he must be 100 percent committed to run for public office. “
Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to
leave the private sector.”
He reportedly had planned to meet with NBC executives this morning to
discuss his future on “The Apprentice,” his reality TV show. The execs had
been pressuring him to decide whether he would re-up for next season by today
because they planned to announced their fall lineup this afternoon. It was
reported Friday that NBC was dangling a $60 million offer to stay with the
show.
Following is Trump’s full statement:
"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!"
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