Donald Trump wants you to believe he's really serious about running for president in 2016

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Donald Trump, who has for three decades pretended to run for president, insists he's serious about doing it for real this time. Honest.

The real estate tycoon and reality TV host — whose last flirtation with a presidential campaign consisted exclusively of a quixotic bid to prove Obama was not born in America — is hiring staff in key states, according to The Washington Post.

Trump said he is eager to show political observers that he is not teasing."Everybody feels I'm doing this just to have fun or because it's good for the brand," Trump said. "Well, it's not fun. I'm not doing this for enjoyment. I'm doing this because the country is in serious trouble." [The Washington Post]

Does that mean Trump will run? Probably not. NBC already renewed his TV show for another season. And again, he has that long, long history of claiming he wants to run for office, soaking up the free press, and then bowing out. Only time will tell if this time will be any different.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.