There are some big elections happening this year, which means that celebrity billionaire Donald Trump is once again expressing a coy interest in running for office.
Just don't expect him to actually do so.
This time around, the story is that Trump may run for governor of New York as a Republican. Trump says that there is a "50-50" chance he'll run, and that it all depends on whether the state GOP essentially hands him the nomination unopposed.
Now, New Yorkers, don't pack your bags just yet: It's pretty much unthinkable that the state Republican Party would give Trump the nomination sans primary.
More to the point, Trump has never followed through in 25 years of saying he might run for office.
A brief history of Trump pretending to run for office:
- 1988: A fellow wealthy real estate mogul tries to draft Trump to run for president. Trump calls a White House bid "something I see in the future," and travels to New Hampshire with a campaign pitch. He does not run.
- 2000: Trump says he is "seriously" considering running for president as a Reform Party candidate. He does not run.
- 2004: Trump says he is "very seriously" considering a White House bid. He does not run.
- 2005: The New York Daily News reports Trump is weighing a gubernatorial run in the state in 2006. He does not run.
- 2006: Trump announces he won't run for governor — but indicates he may run for president in 2008 instead. He does not run.
- 2011: Trump goes full birther and says he will probably run for president. He also commends himself for racially trolling the Obama administration into releasing the president's birth certificate…
...but, again, he doesn't run.
Trump is the boy who cried wolf of political campaigns, and this time is going to be no different.
So why does anyone take seriously a reality TV star best known for shouting "You're fired" at people? Money. Lots and lots of money.
From the Daily News:
The Republicans pushing Trump to run said the billionaire is the only who can compete with [New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo, who is expected to report having more than $30 million in his campaign coffers next week, in terms of money and name recognition. [Daily News]
Forbes estimates Trump has a net worth of $3.5 billion.
So even though Trump is loathed by a significant majority of the population, the "Trump for [Insert Office]" rumors will always sound like they could be true simply because of Trump's finances and celebrity.
One last reason Trump probably won't run for governor: It would totally kill all the "Trump 2016" buzz, which is already officially underway.
