- May 13, 2015 -

Trump Plans to be Admitted in GOP 2016 Debates: ‘I Get Ratings’

Read more at Washington Examiner

While Fox News and the Republican National Committee decide just how many from the sprawling field of GOP presidential candidates to allow to participate in the first primary debate, Donald Trump isn't worried he won't make the cut.

"I don't think that will happen," the real estate magnate said in an interview Tuesday with the Washington Examiner media desk. "No. 1, they want people to watch the debate. If I was excluded far fewer people would watch. I get ratings."

His second reason: "I do very well in the polls," he said. "I'm ahead of most candidates before I've even announced. The biggest negative I have is people don't think I'm running. It gets solved by standing up and saying I'm running and filing [the official paperwork]." Trump does get ratings. His reality game show "Celebrity Apprentice" on NBC is still a success after 13 seasons. And he has a weekly morning segment on Fox News' "Fox and Friends," which he says is the show's "biggest 15 minutes of the week."

He also does fairly well in national and early voting state polls (when he's included as a potential Republican contender). In a recent national Monmouth University poll of Republican voters, 7 percent of respondents said they would support Trump for the GOP nomination, putting him ahead of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, among others. He came infifth place out of 13 candidates in a poll of New Hampshire Republican primary voters.

Trump told the Examiner he plans to make a decision on whether to run for president in June. He said any candidate who wants to participate in the first primary debate — it will be hosted by Fox News on Aug. 6 in Cleveland — should have declared their candidacy and filed official paperwork. "One of the stipulations is you have to declare your candidacy," He said. "And I'll probably be doing that in the month of June. In other words, I will be making a decision during the month of June. I used to say June or July. Now I'm saying June."