Donald Trump: I will not run for president - but would've won

Published on Monday 16 May 2011 16:53

Billionaire real estate magnate and television personality Donald Trump said yesterday that he will not run for the White House in 2012, thinning the field of potential Republican candidates.

The host of America's version of The Apprentice said his decision followed "considerable deliberation and reflection" after weeks of an unofficial campaign. In a statement he said: "I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election."

Mr Trump is one of a number of prominent Republicans who have been mulling a bid for the party's nomination to run against President Barack Obama.

But Mr Trump - who made the issue of Mr Obama's place of birth a major platform of his would-be campaign - has slipped badly in surveys taken since the president released his birth certificate, confirming he was born in the United States.

Mr Trump's support fell from 26 per cent in April to just eight per cent in early May, in surveys carried out by statistics group Public Policy Polling.