Real estate tycoon Trump to run for US president in 2012

London, Oct 6 (ANI): Real estate tycoon and reality television host Donald Trump has showed his interest for the first time in running for president of the United States, saying that "somebody has to do something, because we are losing this country."Trump has been tempted to spend a hefty portion of his estimated two billion dollars fortune on a White House bid.

Speaking on morning television, Trump said: "I've had so many people over the years ask me to do that and for the first time in my life I am absolutely thinking about it."

"I don't know that I'll do it. It's probable that I won't do it but I can tell you, I'm thinking about it. Somebody has to do something we are losing this country. This country will not be great if something isn't done rapidly," he said.

Expressing his admiration for the Tea Party Movement, he said: "I am a Republican and have great respect for what the Tea Party has done because they have brought to light what's going on. I mean we have trillion-dollar deficits. ... The country is going bankrupt, let's face it."

The early front-runners for the Republican nomination include Mitt Romney, who only came a distant third to John McCain in the 2008, and Sarah Palin, who may be a hero to conservatives but remains deeply divisive, The Telegraph reports.

Even before hosting The Apprentice on TV, a version of the British show, Trump, 64, has been a prominent figure in the US with the near collapse of his property empire in the 1980s and his colourful private life. (ANI)