Trump Stumps In South Florida
BOCA RATON (CBS4) --Donald Trump is getting some love from the Tea Party. And he's giving them some love right back.
Trump will speak at a Tea Party Tax Rally in Boca Raton Saturday .
Friday night at a Centennial celebration for the Town of Palm Beach at Mar-a-Lago, Trump sounded like a man getting run to run for the highest office in the land -- criticizing President Obama's foreign policy, healthcare plan and questioning the President's birthplace.
"He's the worst president in the history of the United States," Trump said in a ballroom glittering with gold accents and inlays. "He's been a terrible president. It's very important that he be replaced."
Trump even took a swipe at former President George W. Bush.
"If it weren't for George Bush we wouldn't have Barack Obama," Trump said. "(Bush) didn't have a great presidency especially at the end and because of his actions and because of his aura it was very tough for a Republican to win (in 2008)."
The questions continue to swirl around a possible Trump candidacy as a Republican for 2012. Trump refuses to commit saying he'll decide by the beginning of June, which leads some to believe he is flirting with the presidency as a way to boost ratings for his show, "Celebrity Apprentice."
Trump dismissed that, saying he's so serious about a possible run that he cannot commit to an extension of the show.
"I cannot make a decision yet and that's a big commitment because you're talking about a lot of money -- even for a rich person," Trump told reporters.
Some voters -- like Vinny Valentino -- say they believe Trump has the business acumen to be president but few other qualifications. Valentino sees Trump's actions as a publicity stunt.
"Of course it is," Valentino told CBS 4's Carey Codd. "You know that and I that. Come on. He's a great entrepreneur of getting people to follow him."
At a Tea Party rally in Fort Lauderdale Friday afternoon, Elaine Laffey said Trump would be an ideal candidate.
"He's already successful," Laffey said. "He knows how to make money. He knows how to economize. He's a good businessman and I think that's what we need in this country."
Trump said he is honored to speak at the Tea Party rally Saturday.
"The Tea Party represents something very special," Trump said. "They represent common sense and they represent a kind of toughness."
But not all Tea Partiers are ready to jump on the Donald's bandwagon.
"He makes some sense but I really haven't decided anything yet," said Brown Hoover.
During his half hour news conference Friday, Trump broke little new ground. He questioned Obama's policy in Libya, his healthcare plan and the nation's debt to China.
Specifically, Trump said the U.S. should be paid for its' intervention in Libya and should take oil from Iraq as payment for the war.
"We are a whipping post for the rest of the world," Trump said.
Trump leveled heavy criticism at Obama but offered no specific policies or what a Trump Administration would do.
A Trump run for office means he would have to release all his financial information, something he has said in recent days that he would do.
One thing Tea Partiers are concerned about -- if Trump runs as an independent he would steal votes from the Republican nominee and that would benefit President Obama.
