Donald Trump is planning a trip to Iowa, another signal that he is serious in his consideration of a presidential bid for 2012. From the Des Moines Register:
New York billionaire Donald Trump said in a Des Moines Register interview Thursday that he expects to visit Iowa soon, likely before his self-imposed June deadline for seeking the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
The real estate tycoon and reality television star also said he would campaign aggressively in Iowa for the state’s leadoff caucuses, were he to seek the GOP nomination. His reputation as a successful businessman would set him apart from the gathering field of mostly political leaders, he said.
“I will meet many, many people – maybe all of the people” in Iowa, Trump said in the interview. “If I decide to run, I will be shaking hands with everybody.”
A top Trump associate affiliated with a campaign to draft him to run also said Thursday that he plans to visit Iowa on Monday to meet with Republican leaders and activists about a 2012 campaign.
This week Trump also did an interview with Rush Limbaugh on Wednesday, defending his donation to Rahm Emmanuel’s mayoral campaign and discussing China.