Donald Trump The Friars Club Honors Larry King - P 2012
Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesDonald Trump is giving President Barack Obama a little more time to consider his $5 million offer.
Last week, the Apprentice star offered that sum to the charity of the Obama’s choice, with the catch that the president release his school and passport records.
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Trump tweeted Tuesday that in light of hurricane Sandy wreaking havok on the northeast, he was extending his offer until 12 p.m. Thursday. So far, Obama has not acknowledged the offer — save for making a joke about the real estate mogul during an appearance on NBC’s The Tonight Show.
Appearing on CNBC Tuesday, Trump elaborated.
“I have to extend it. Everybody’s talking about it. It’s got unbelievable momentum,” Trump said of his offer. He said he received a “tremendous ovation” last week while appearing on CBS’ Late Show.
His offer has been mocked on Twitter and late night talk shows as a grab for attention.
On CNBC, Trump reiterated what he’d told David Letterman last week, that he would be willing to pay more than $5 million to get the president to release the records. He also questioned why people were defending Obama not taking his offer.
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“How can you defend somebody for something like that? It’s ridiculous,” Trump said.
He added that he doesn’t actually want the president’s records to be bad, and that he hopes they all check out if revealed.
“I want them to be perfect. If they’re not right, then we’ve had a sham as a president, and that would be a horrible thing for the country,” Trump said.
Trump, a prolific tweeter, used Twitter Tuesday to offer some suggestions for which charity Obama should choose.
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Another great cause Obama could send my $5M donation to is a charity for 9/11 First Responders. They are American heroes.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2012
@digiphile @redcross RT if you think Pres.Obama should release his records to get $5M for charity–for Red Cross or another great charity
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2012
Maybe Obama should donate my $5M to the families of the 17 who have lost loved ones during the storm?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2012
He also questioned why the president hadn’t released the records.
Why does Obama believe he shouldn’t comply with record releases that his predecessors did of their own volition? Hiding something?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2012
Trump is scheduled to appear on NBC’s Late Night Tuesday, where he will undoubtedly have more to say on the subject. It airs at 12:35 a.m. ET.
Watch his CNBC appearance below.
email: aaron.couch@thr.com
twitter: @AaronCouch
