--- title: Donald Trump Exploring a Run for President, But Still Has a Plan B description: The real estate mogul says he's serious about a run for the White House, but he still has a Celebrity Apprentice contract as a fallback. canonical: https://time.com/3749420/donald-trump-celebrity-apprentice/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-18T20:43:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:40:57.071Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Exploring a Run, But Still Has a Plan B og:description: He can still return to "The Celebrity Apprentice." og:url: https://time.com/3749420/donald-trump-celebrity-apprentice/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta58f4defcf0452dc/6987843ae53aba20bb4d8233/462077440.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Iowa Freedom Summit Features GOP Presidential Hopefuls og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Exploring a Run, But Still Has a Plan B twitter:description: He can still return to "The Celebrity Apprentice." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta58f4defcf0452dc/6987843ae53aba20bb4d8233/462077440.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Explores a Run for President, But Still Has a Plan B ## Video: REAL TIME: Donald Trump At CPAC 2015 [Watch (HLS stream): REAL TIME: Donald Trump At CPAC 2015](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QH9p6obo.m3u8) (0:59)  _Published 2015-02-27. Business tycoon Donald Trump shared his views on ISIS, Obamacare, and immigration at CPAC 2015, and talked about a possible presidential run in 2016._ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Mar 18, 2015 8:43 PM UTC  Businessman Donald Trump speaks to guests at the Iowa Freedom Summit on January 24, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. Businessman Donald Trump speaks to guests at the Iowa Freedom Summit on January 24, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa.Scott Olson—Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Mar 18, 2015 8:43 PM UTC Donald Trump already has a plan for his first 100 days as president. But he also has a fallback if his bid for the White House doesn’t work out. In an interview with TIME on Wednesday as he announced an [exploratory committee for 2016](http://time.com/3748732/donald-trump-exploratory-committee-2016/), Trump said he is serious about a campaign and laid out a platform that included repealing Obamacare and toughening the United States’ stance in negotiations with Iran and China. “The country is in serious trouble. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Trump said. “With me running things, all these countries throughout the world will not be ripping off the United States anymore.” But the outspoken businessman isn’t letting go of his NBC hit show _Celebrity Apprentice_, despite earlier remarks by his advisers, who indicated he [was not renewing the show](http://time.com/3748732/donald-trump-exploratory-committee-2016/). “The network \[has\] picked up the show,” Sharon Panozzo, a publicity director for NBC told TIME. “Trump himself announced this during our live finale last month.” The two options aren’t mutually exclusive. Trump has not set a production date for the reality show _The Celebrity Apprentice_, and can choose when to film the show. That means he could still return for a 15th season of the show after running for president. The flamboyant billionaire has publicly flirted with a presidential bid in four election cycles since 1999 but has never actually run for the White House. [In 2011, he delayed the renewal of _The Celebrity Apprentice_](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2065235,00.html) and said he was “seriously” considering running. He described his approach in similar terms in 2004 and 1999. On Wednesday, Trump said again he is “looking at it very, very seriously,” and is waiting to see when the other possible candidates announce. He said he has staff in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina and has planned speeches in both New Hampshire and Iowa in upcoming weeks. “I have a great group of people surrounding and working with me,” Trump told TIME. “The country’s going to hell, and when I give the message, people will agree with me.” In separate interviews, Trump and his special counsel, Michael Cohen, did not elaborate on his staff appointments. The reality show host would face significant challenges if he chooses to run for president. Nearly three-quarters of GOP primary voters said they couldn’t see themselves supporting Donald Trump in a presidential run, according to a [_Wall Street Journal_/NBC News poll](http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/03/11/2016-blues-57-of-republicans-cant-support-chris-christie/), uniting more Republicans against his candidacy than any other potential candidate. When asked about his poll numbers, Trump said, “It doesn’t mean anything. They don’t think I’m running, which totally affects that… A lot of people say, ‘I’d vote for Trump, but he’s not going to run so therefore I’m not going to put him in a poll.'” Like other Republican candidates, he also criticized the Obama administration’s handling of the negotiations with Iran. “It’s incredible that the sanctions, they took them off \[Iran\]. Who negotiates that way?” he said. “I would have tripled the sanctions and then negotiated, and you would have made a deal.” “I wrote the book the _Art of the Deal_, which is the number one business seller of all time,” Trump said, plugging his 1987 bestseller. “This is not the ‘art of the deal’ that they’re doing. This is the art of people that are not very smart,” he continued. “They don’t have a clue.” _Read next:_ [_Democrats On Trump: ‘Everything Is Awesome’_](http://time.com/3749212/donald-trump-democrats/?iid=time%5Freadnext) ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. Brian Snyder—Reuters [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3749420/donald-trump-celebrity-apprentice/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3749420/donald-trump-celebrity-apprentice/"},"headline":"Trump Explores a Run for President, But Still Has a Plan B","datePublished":"2015-03-18T20:43:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:40:57.071Z","description":"In an interview, the real estate giant insists that he's serious, but he can still return to his reality TV show","url":"https://time.com/3749420/donald-trump-celebrity-apprentice/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic","Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta58f4defcf0452dc/6987843ae53aba20bb4d8233/462077440.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta58f4defcf0452dc/6987843ae53aba20bb4d8233/462077440.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Iowa Freedom Summit Features GOP Presidential Hopefuls","caption":"Iowa Freedom Summit Features GOP Presidential Hopefuls","creditText":"Scott Olson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3749420/donald-trump-celebrity-apprentice/","name":"Trump Explores a Run for President, But Still Has a Plan B"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"REAL TIME: Donald Trump At CPAC 2015","description":"Business tycoon Donald Trump shared his views on ISIS, Obamacare, and immigration at CPAC 2015, and talked about a possible presidential run in 2016.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/QH9p6obo/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-27T18:49:02.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QH9p6obo.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3749420/donald-trump-celebrity-apprentice/","duration":"PT59S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3749420/donald-trump-celebrity-apprentice/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```