Will Donald Trump try to say 'You're fired!' to President Obama?

In the wake of a favorable New Hampshire presidential poll, Donald Trump is the latest celebrity mulling a presidential candidacy in 2012. Trump announced Tuesday he was 'seriously' considering a run for the White House.

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Claudio Rodriguez/Meet The Famous/Newscom/FILE
Donald Trump attend Trump's "Ride of Fame" dedication Tuesday, where the real estate mogul was honored with his own Gray Line New York bus on June 8. Trump announced on Oct. 5 that he was considering running for president in 2012.
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Splash News/Newscom
Donald Trump is seen outside The Late Show with David Letterman in New York City on Sept.1.

Blame Canada...errr...New Hampshire!

After a presidential poll in New Hampshire included questions about Donald Trump, host of "The Apprentice," Trump has said he's considering a bid for the presidency.

"For the first time in my life, I'm actually thinking about it," Trump told Fox News.

Comedian Jay Leno not sure it's a good idea. Leno said on "The Tonight Show" on Tuesday, "Haven't enough Americans already been told, 'You're fired?' Well at least there'd be somebody in politics with worse hair that Joe Biden. That's the one good thing about it."

It wouldn't be the first time that Trump, the real estate mogul turned reality TV host turned beauty pageant sponsor, veered down a different career path. It also wouldn't be the first time Trump's waxed presidential. ABC reported that Trump first suggested running on the Republican ticket in 1988.

And in 2000, Trump dabbled in the Reform Party, publicly discussing the possibility he would run before ending his "brief and flamboyant exploration," as the San Francisco Chronicle wrote in 2000.

The Chronicle reported that Trump asserted in his statement at the time that he could win the party's nomination if he chose to pursue it. Yet Trump cited divisions in the Reform Party in 2000, "the prospect of divisive lawsuits, continued fighting over the national convention site, and general fratricide," as reasons why any Reform candidate would ultimately lose in the election.

Again in 2006 Trump flirted with politics, telling the New York Post that he wouldn't run for governor of New York in those midterm elections because he was "having too much fun doing what I'm doing," but that "doesn't preclude [him] from doing something political in the future."

At the time, Trump was the largest builder in New York and had one of the top shows on television, according to the Post. "It's a little hard to leave all of that," Trump said.

But after being hit hard in Real Estate Land by the troubled economy and with "The Apprentice" ratings tanking, maybe The Donald has had a change of heart.

Or has he?

Trump told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" crew, ""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."

Recap: Trump is "seriously considering," running as the GOP candidate for president. He's "absolutely thinking about it," but he'd "love not to do it," and "it's probable that [he] won't do it." We're pretty confused too.

And when asked by MSNBC when he would decide, Trump said, "Well, I'll make it over a period of time."

Gawker's opinion is that he'll get a couple weeks worth of headlines out of it and "it would make for a great last segment of the season's last episode if he were to deliver his cartoonishly epic 'After much consideration, I have decided not to pursue the Presidency' decision then."

Other Republicans – such as Sarah Palin, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney – could be potential candidates to challenge President Obama in 2012. So, if The Donald is for real this time, he may want to figure out sooner rather than later how "seriously" and "absolutely" into running for the presidency he is.

Until then, check out our list of celebrities who have dabbled in running for president.

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