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Subscribe to RSSDonald Trump is offering his explanation for why he ducked the 2012 Republican presidential primary race: Republicans are "stupid" and - really - who gives up that much cash?
"I said 'you know what? It’s time to take the money,'" said Trump in a new 4-minute YouTube video posted Thursday. "I really hated what I was seeing from the Republicans."
"Ultimately I don’t want to battle against the Republicans’ stupidity … and at the same time tell NBC I no longer want a hit show," he said.
The real estate mogul also appeared to keep the door open to a third-party presidential bid if "the wrong" candidate seals the GOP nomination.
"I am watching very carefully. If the wrong person is nominated, you watch what happens with Donald Trump and what he does," Trump said. "Because we have to beat Obama. This country cannot last any longer with Obama as our president."
In the video, Trump alleges that he was being offered "all sorts of money" to keep his show "The Apprentice" on the air.
"By the way, even when you’re rich, it’s a lot of money," he said. "Who gives up a hit show? Nobody."
Trump ridiculed two House Republicans - Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan - by name, saying that Republicans who support Ryan’s plan to fundamentally change Medicare have an electoral "death wish" that sorely weakens the party going into the 2012 election.
And Trump lamented that Republicans handed Obama a decisive victory when they passed a "ridiculous" compromise tax bill during last year’s lame duck session of Congress. "He was resurrected, he became the Phoenix, he was like a new man." (That compromise took place, by the way, well before Trump’s presidential flirtation began in earnest. The president’s poll numbers did surge above 50 percent after the compromise bill passed but returned to a 48 percent approval rating the next month, per the NBC/WSJ poll.)
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More reasonable talk from a truly important political thinker. Thank you FR, for AGAIN allowing us to suck from The Donald's teat of wisdom...
Nonsense, dangerfield.
Given the stone-cold, harsh realities facing our nation, we owe a debt of gratitude to New York for the endless comic relief Donald Trump consistently provides.
He's completely reliable, isn't he?
Thanks for Rep. Weiner, too...before I forget.
Oh yeah...
One more thing (sorry, Rachel)...
I almost never agree with Lawrence O'Donnell, but I gotta admit...
He had Trump's number from day one.
Kudos, Larry.
Completely wrong on Weiner, though.
Right, Feisty?
MB-
I'm truly disappointed; Losing your sense of humor and becoming predictable in your replies is one less reason for me to come here...
Weiner is a sad case and merely the latest example of a bevy of philanderers, pigs and cheats covering the entire religious and political spectrum.
There will be another example before you CAN forget the last, and I think I am repeating what I said when "Chesty" Chris Lee was the object of the other guy's ridicule...
Trump is an egocentric self-promoting buffoon who lives to see his name in print. These guys at FR are just one his many enablers...
Weiner is a sad case and merely the latest example of a bevy of philanderers, pigs and cheats covering the entire religious and political spectrum.
Absolutely.
Funny how quickly people forgot about Schwarzenegger. We need to stop defending them all. R's and D's.
I'm disappointed that you're disappointed, dangerfield.
Review our exchange...
Who's lost their sense of humor?
My sense of humor is caustic, I admit...
But it's always there, friend.
That aside, I don't see how this site benefits from your departure.
Do you?
Hello, Bag Boy:
And that's your best quality. It makes such a lovely, sharp contrast with mine. ;-)
Always nice to see you.
Or maybe it's just because he knew the American people are not stupid enough to elect him?
You libs waist too much time and effort bashing the list of losers that the Republicans are fielding because none of them will be on the ballot come 2012. While you Democrats and Republicans wash each others votes out with you partisan thinking many independents like myself, even though I am not happy with Obama, would vote for him over most of these losers you are waisting your energy on belittling.
Save it for when these clowns are finally pushed to the side and a true candidate emerges and it will happen. We still have 16 months before election day.
MB-
Just different shades of sarcasm maybe-I'll give you the benefit of doubt...
Frankly the humor found in Weiner, Arnold etc., is often an uncomfortable, nervous reaction to the sad reality that their very public humiliation brings to their spouses and families.
As to my departure from this esteemed political forum; You wouldn't want to put that to a vote...:)
Bob,
You believe there is a true candidate in the field that has any practical solutions to the problems this country faces. I'd certainly like to see who that is. The food fight that is goig on in the republican party between the social conservatives who have no sense of limited government, and the fiscal conservatives who have no regard for the middle class and working class, the party is ready to implode.
So, Bob -- do tell. Since the rest of us don't have your foresight and can't see him or her yet, maybe you could enlighten us as to who you believe might be out there somewhere who might "emerge" suddenly and "happen."
Thanks for extending the benefit, dangerfield.
I never really believed you were going anywhere.
Kathy,
That's not what I said. Currently none of the meat rockets that have announced they are running can win. But we have 16 months and I do believe there will be other candidates who will enter the race. Heck most of America doesn't even know what half of these people stand for. When the debates start and tough questions start to be asked and we learn a little more about the candidates then we will see who the true front runner is. Until then this is all just opinionated BS and the polls they come out with this early mean nothing.
STUPID REPUBLICANS?.......This is dagger on the chest. let's see what the conservative wing nut will say about this NUMSKULL. I don't blame you knuckle head Donald, Republican are truely STUPID.
Hey Trump! You're fired! -America
Anna,
As stated above. WE HAVE 16 months.
Unlike you I don't know everything about every congressman in the country who might run for president but I will make the effort to learn about them as they become visible to the rest of the nation and not just their own states or constitutes.
.
Finally- Bob talks sense.
Anna Molly-
Hi, gorgeous.
Friends say my sense of humor is my only redeeming quality.
Sad when you can't even trust your friends.
MB-
Reminds me of what was said about Bob Dole during the 1996 campaign;
Bob Dole; Even his friends don't like him...
Because deep down he knows he doesn't have what it takes to actually win an election, let alone run this country anywhere but into the ground like his @!$%#ing casinos.
dangerfield-
Hmmm...I like Bob Dole.
Especially his sense of humor.
I'm guessing his friends actually like him a lot.
I'm surprised that you don't, despite your political views.
Or...
Maybe you're just kidding, or being facetious.
Heaven forbid...
Me, Facetious? It would be my middle name, if I had a FIRST name, that is...
Bob is a very nice man, whom I have met on more than one occasion. He loves the joke btw...
To further add to the stew, today Rush Limbaugh announced that Mitt Romney killed any chance of getting the Repub. nomination, because Mitt said he believed global warming was a big concern. That kind of truth telling will not sit well with Sarah, Rick, Michelle, and on and on. Amazing how the Repubs continue to destroy themselves.
Sorry clear...you're too late. He resigned and accepted a better offer! :-)
He got that part right. But, whom does he deem to be "the wrong person?" Each of us has his or her own idea of just what a wrong candidate is.
The Republican nominee, must disassociate his or her self from far right politico-religio-nut jobs. Just to the right of center is where to be. But it'll be tough to turn down the cash that ideology-driven factions can dole out.
"Bob is a very nice man..."
And, he's got a wicked sense of humor.
Very wicked.
You're lucky to actually have met him on several occasions, dangerfield.
I wish I had.
He's deadly funny.
And, a real patriot and hero.
He could have easily inspired the character of the young officer played by Tom Hanks in Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan".
The similarities are noteworthy.
Except somehow, Dole survived.
Lucky for us.
It's always all about the money isn't it.
Great marketing job, show renewed, ratings jumped.
...and who said he was stupid.
Just when you thought it was safe... lol
Out pops the Donald & the MSM is right there waiting!
Is it any wonder the Wasilla Hillbilly is his protege?
This is absolutely amazing.
And the media was following this two-faced Janus around like he was REALLY some sort of god.
Is there anyone that Trump WOULDN'T stab in the back if it suited his current impulses or he could exploit it for a buck?
Well, anyway. At least, this ought to answer the age-old question about whether everyone who is rich came by it honestly and is of worthy character. If you still need another example after reading this, I'll give you Charlie Sheen.
On the other hand, after five minutes' reflection during a bathroom break -- after all, who among us DOESN'T do their best thinking in the bathroom? -- I had these additional thoughts --
Trump is a two-timing backstabber, but he isn't stupid.
He claims the country will not last if President Obama is re-elected, and then he threatens to do the EXACT thing that would virtually ensure President Obama's re-election.
The rest of the Republicans know this, too.
Thus, Trump is really signalling that you had better nominate the candidate I want you to, or I'll blow the whole thing up for you.
Now, which candidate is it? My guess is Palin -- easily flattered -- she's already half way there -- and even easier for a guy like Trump to control after the fact. After all, if she hated being governor, she would hate being President even more. Hmmm. Who could she turn to for help?
Palin would belong to Trump, and maybe in more ways than one. And August, 2012, after he's already milked his show for yet another scintillating year, still wouldn't be too late to become a vice-presidential nominee.
I feel Trump actually boosted Obama by putting down Ryan and Cantor. I never thought Trump was stupid, but he may be brilliant if this is a ploy for the Democrats. Maybe he has punked them all.
LoL I actually thought that for a minute or so, too, especially in light of how fast he folded after the birther deal, which smelled fishy from the start, and how well he took the President's roasting of him.
But then I thought, what's in it for him? And I really can't see it. He would never be king, and he would never get any credit. Can he even DO that?
Anna Molly:
Donald Trump is a fictional character, a creature of the creative mind of Lawrence O'Donnell. It's clear Mr. O'Donnell never did stop writing scripts even though "The West Wing" ended its run. Trump has done exactly - not even a hint of deviation - what O'Donnell said he would do. Trump is a greedy, money-grubbing sociopath. It's amazing how many Republicans meet that description.
Also Anna Molly, given your residency in Wisconsin, and your attentiveness to events there, I have a question for you. It seems clear that were an election held today, Feingold could take back a seat in the Senate, or he could beat the snot out of Walker.
Given Feingold's sensibilities, I think he would far better serve Wisconsin as a Governor than Senator. He won't get campaign reform at the federal level, but there's a great chance he could do it at the state level, and show how it's done. There are other considerations, but what do you think?
Hello, David: I don't know much about Feingold right now, but I think he's had enough of Washington -- who wouldn't have after the way it betrayed him? After seeing him on the news the other night, however, he's also not as tired as I thought he was. In short, I expect him to run, and frankly, governor might be more critical right now. The key may be how much money he can raise against the Koch brothers and, in all probability, Karl Rove.
By the way, I'm please to hear your take on Lawrence O'Donnell and Donald Trump. Matches mine perfectly. What O'Donnell does best is dog a subject as far as it will go.
But who made him their rising star...he topped the Republican/TP polls!
...so who got pawn'd?
Out will jump Jeb Bush.
Using Trump to exemplify the rich, is like using John Wayne Gacy to exemplify CLOWNS...
Who should we use to exemplify RICH CLOWNS?
ronald mcdonald
Are we sure Donald Trump isn't a DNC plant? If he is, and he might as well be, it would be the greatest dirty trick since Karl Rove planted a listening device in his own office to make it look like he was being spied on.
The electoral death wish comment is about the only time that I've agreed with this clown!
The media will also follow Sarah Palin around. Apparently there are some 2000 of her emails being released on Friday from when she was governor. Both the NY Times and the Washington Post are enlisting regular people to help them pour through these e-mails as if they were the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Odd that these fine journalists at the Times and Post didn't do the same with the Obama HCR legislation.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/conversations/help-investigate-the-palin-emails/2011/06/08/AGHIGMNH_story.html
Source: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/help-us-investigate-the-sarah-palin-e-mail-records/?partner=rss&emc=rss
"Odd that these fine journalists at the Times and Post didn't do the same with the Obama HCR legislation."
It's because the already knew about the HCR legislation. These folks are still trying to glean what newspapers a genius like Palin reads, and they think the e-mails may contain some hints, I think.
I think the Post and Times are looking to see if Sarah got any e-mails from Tony Weiner. They're especially interested in the ones from Tony that have attachments.
'We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it' - Nancy Pelosi
What ever was in it, there sure are a lot of friends of Nancy getting waivers from it.
Palin should have just answered the question truthfully, "Well Katie I read Tiger Beat and also too Boys Life"
Trump running as a 3rd party candidate would garantee a 2nd term for Obama. He isn't going to do it. He is just garnering more press.
Trump would not hurt anyone as a 3rd party candidate unless he ran as VP to Palin!
Meh. Trump as a 3rd party candidate would merely add to the entertainment.
He would make no difference in the outcome.
"Ultimately I don’t want to battle against the Republicans’ stupidity"
First intelligent thing Trump has said in years!
Lawerence O'Donnel was the only Media personality who got it right. Trump ran the rest of the Media like a $2 Bill, used them up and them threw them to the wolves. Just deserts. Media couldn't stay on message about addressing Real Issues affecting Struggling Americans if someone gave them more Greed!
Got to be the least noble excuse for not running and serving your country in the most important capacity that I've ever heard.......money, and most especially for someone has already has so much.
He's a regular Patriot.
But if he were the nominee, he would not have to listen to "stupid" Republicans,
We won't expect any Donald leaping, regardless of who is chosen.
His talk about his wealth is really, like, SO vulgar. Totally.
Why did he quit? When someone says it's the principle, not the money--it's the money.
But he did say it was the money, didn't he?
Yes. That was the vulgar part. But on the principle of competence and devotion to country, he portrayed others as inferior. It was money, principle--and interest (compounded daily). Who wouldn't trade a TV show for their country? He's just hypocritical.
Once again the msnbc staff in Hyderabad bungles the English language:
"president’s poll numbers did surge above 50 percent after the compromise bill passed but returned to a 48 percent approval rating the next month"
When something goes from 48% to 50% it would not be a "surge" - please look up surge in a dictionary. I am sure the poll's margin or error is greater than 2% so there are NO conclusions to be drawn from the poll. I guess basic English, elementary statistics and plain old common sense are not prerequisites to be a "reporter".
Question: If you turn down the opportunity to become the President of the United States, not to mention Leader of the Free World (he was ahead in the polls at one point) because the money's not good enough--do you kind of give up your credibility the next time you say you're a patriot?? Or are you just a spoiled rich turd?
You're kidding us right? Has anyone ever accused Trump of being a patriot? The spoiled rich turd was much more accurate and that's the crux of the problem, we have way too many spoiled rich turds out for themselves. The Donald pawned the Republican/TP. Had he actually been elected (obviously only in bazzaro-world) he would have had the opportunity to pawn us all. This whole thing was never about running for office and always about the money...just like Palin! You think there's a difference? Watch and see.
Trump was a joke, is a joke, and will always be a joke. How he has a so called hit on TV goes to show you how pathetic much of the TV audience is out there!
Donald Trump is a money grubbing republican whore. If he really is a republican. Otherwise he's just a money grubbing whore.
He must have had this epiphany over pizza in NYC with sister Sarah. It is funny how that woman can make eyes open wide after she opens her mouth.
With our economy in such a depressing state, I was glad to "The Donald" jump into the fray. Everything out there today is depressing and the presence of Donald "The Chump" really put the nation in a better mood. We all needed something to laugh about in all this misery and Donald was there for us right on Que. He came at a time when Sarah Palin was no longer funny as people were beginning to she how stupid she is and so she was no longer laughable. Donald Trump stepped up to the plate and fitted right in and took over for her. I hope he gets back in the race again. We need the humor and stupidity to make the campaign process more palatable.
Ken, I have to disagree. Sarah Palin has been the greatest comedy relief this country has had in years...and she's still the gift that keeps on giving. You do know she can see Paul Revere from her front porch don't you?
Oh brother, his such a looser. I would be shocked if anyone voted for this man if he ever ran as a 3rd party option.
Trump is truly delusional. After having been reduced to hosting a silly reality show he comes back for more? The reason? He needs the money!
He's not delusional...he's a realist, a capitalist...it's all about the money. He has a brilliant flair for self-promotion with no concern for the well being of his fellow Americans...the perfect CEO!
Money, money, money, money..... that's the ONLY thing trump has ever been interested in and his ego prevents him from NOT telling us how much he has and from telling us how much more he will soon have. Gotta love this guy for pulling the wool over the eyes of so many people in this country.
When the Republican field has been cleared to one, then maybe I will start listening. As soon as ANY candidate suggests outlawing lobbyists, then I will listen. We will not get our country back until the corporate lobbies and other special interests lose their ability to purchase our representatives.
We get the government we deserve.
The job that Trump is most qualified for, and best at, is promoting Trump. He wouldn't have won the Presidency, and would have been horrible at it. I think he knows that and teasing to run just is about hyping his brand.
there is only one person that can beat obama and that is clinton . i bet she would poll better in GOP circles then all the others. and i am serious no joke
all she has to do is used that old chevy chass line "i am hillery clinton and your not" landslide