Celebrity Donald Trump: I'm Not Running for President "This decision does not come easily or without regret," he says By Dahvi Shira and Charlotte Triggs Charlotte Triggs Managing Editor, PEOPLE Digital People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 16, 2011 01:40 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC/AP He’s sure he’d get the job, but Donald Trump is withdrawing his application. “I will not be running for president as much as I’d like to,” he told reporters Monday in New York while promoting his show The Apprentice. Trump, 64, was among several potential Republican candidates for president in 2012 election and made headlines most recently when he raised questions about where President Obama was born. “This decision does not come easily or without regret,” Trump adds in a statement. “I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary, and ultimately, the general election.” Donald Trump Wants Charlie Sheen on The Celebrity Apprentice His potential candidacy generated great media attention – and became the source of jokes by late-night comedians and even Obama. “Donald Trump is here,” the President said at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner earlier this month in Washington. “Now, I know that he s taken some flak lately, but no one is prouder to put this birth certificate to rest than The Donald. Now he can get to focusing on the issues that matter. Like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened at Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?”