Reality TV star and all-around mogul Donald Trump was planning to offer an endorsement of a candidate some time after hosting a debate among Republican presidential aspirants, and left the possibility of his own third-party candidacy on the table in the event the eventual Republican nominee is unacceptable to him. The debate never happened, but the possibility of the endorsement and candidacy linger on.
According to the Washington Post, Trump believes that millions of his followers are waiting for his views on the topic, as are the candidates themselves, many of whom have made a point of meeting with Trump at some point during 2011.
However, he continues to leave the door open to a run for office as an independent.
A 12/27/11 debate under the auspices of Newsmax and Ion Television Network initially attracted participation promises from Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, but Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann all declined to participate.
RBR-TVBR observation: In the event Trump does decide to run, it will put his participation in any television programming on ice for the duration of his candidacy.
