After hearing him speak at CPAC, some conservative voters are pretty excited about voting for Donald Trump in the 2012 Presidential election. But is it possible that Trump’s Presidential campaign is just a hoax?
For the past month, rumors have been circulating to the effect that Apprentice star and real estate tycoon Donald Trump was considering running for President as a Republican candidate in 2012. Then, last week, in a speech he gave at CPAC, the Donald made it clear that he really is considering a run, and that he plans to make a final decision about whether or not to seek the Presidency between now and June. [Source: Falcone, Michael. “Donald Trump: If I Run For President ‘This Country Will Be Respected Again’,” ABC News, 2/10/11. Downloaded from: http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/02/donald-trump-if-i-run-for-president-this-country-will-be-respected-again.html].
The news of a Donald Trump presidential run seemed incredible. So incredible, in fact, that some people have questioned its credibility. Could it just be a hoax?
Salon.com’s Alex Pareen is one person who argues that Donald Trump’s campaign for President is a hoax. He believes the whole thing has been rchestrated by Roger Stone (who encouraged Kristin Davis, aka the “Manhattan Madam,” to run for New York governor). Pareen’s article implies that Trump will decide whether to run right before the television sweeps in June. [Source: Pareene, Alex. “Trump and Christie: Which false 2012 candidate is more ridiculous?,” Salon.com, 2/17/11. Downloaded from: http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/02/17/christie_and_trump_2012/index.html]
There is no question that the timing of Trump’s decision deadline is convenient. The upcoming Nielsen TV rating system’s sweeps periods will be April 28 through May 25, and June 30 through July 27. A June Presidential announcement from Trump (whether he announces that he will run or no) could generate a lot of publicity in either of those periods. So it is, of course, possible that Donald Trump is cynically generating publicity for his Apprentice TV show with a fake Presidential run.
I cannot help believing he is sincere, though. He just sounds so earnest when he speaks on television. He is not that great of an actor on his Apprentice TV show, so it is difficult for me to believe that he is only acting when he talks about running for President. Either way, though, we will find out Donald Trump’s Presidential intentions in the next four months.
Sources
Falcone, Michael. “Donald Trump: If I Run For President ‘This Country Will Be Respected Again’,” ABC News, 2/10/11. Downloaded from: http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/02/donald-trump-if-i-run-for-president-this-country-will-be-respected-again.html
Pareene, Alex. “Trump and Christie: Which false 2012 candidate is more ridiculous?,” Salon.com, 2/17/11. Downloaded from: http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/02/17/christie_and_trump_2012/index.html
