Months later , during an April 1988 appearance on '' The Oprah Winfrey Show '' , Trump discussed his displeasure with the United States ' status as a " debtor nation " and its seeming inability to compete with Japan . Winfrey asked Trump if he would ever run for president . He replied , " Probably not , but I do get tired of seeing the country get ripped off ... I just do n't think I have the inclination to do it . " Furthermore , he asserted that if he ever did run , he would win the election . He later appeared at the 1988 Republican National Convention . In an interview on the floor , NBC News reporter Chris Wallace asked whether Trump 's visit to his first national convention would induce him to " take the plunge " into a presidential campaign . In response , Trump downplayed his prior exploration into presidential politics , though repeated that he would win if he ever ran , and praised then-presumptive Republican presidential nominee George H. W. Bush . During another convention interview on '' Larry King Live '' , Trump dismissed the speculation that he had considered running for president and commented , " I doubt I ’ll ever be involved in politics beyond what I do right now . " Talk of a potential Trump candidacy grew silent for much of the next decade
1988 Republican National Convention
1988 Republican National Convention
Donald Trump 2000 presidential campaign