Trump: I have a great relationship with blacks
- Trump set to announce presidential run on The Apprentice
- He renews calls for Obama to show his birth certificate
Donald Trump tentatively touched on the race issue as he lashed out at President Obama on Thursday.
The real estate mogul insisted that his criticisms of Mr Obama have nothing to do with race because Mr Trump has a 'great relationship with the blacks.'
Speaking on Talk 1300 radio in Albany, New York, Mr Trump said he was dismayed by Obama's strong support within the African-American community.
Delicate issue: Obama, pictured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, briefly addressed the question of race on Thursday
Under fire: The president has come under repeated attacks from Trump in the last few weeks
'I know many Obama supporters. I have a great relationship with the blacks but unfortunately the numbers that you cite are very, very frightening numbers.'
The numbers he was referring to are from a new poll which shows 95 per cent of black voters in New York State approve of how Mr Obama is handling his job, with four per cent disapproving.
In sharp contrast, of the white voters polled, 42 per cent approve of the job the president is doing, while 53 per cent do not.
The latest twist in the Trump political saga comes amid reports that will use the season finale of his NBC reality show The Apprentice to make his announcement on whether he will run.
The show is set to air on May 15.
The stunt, if it goes ahead, will surely fuel criticisms that he is using the prospect of a 2012 presidential run to boost his celebrity status.
Mr Trump had said repeatedly said he would make his announcement in June.
He played down talk about the season finale during Thursday's radio interview, but kept hammering away at the 'birther' issue of where exactly Mr Obama was born.
Mr Trump said: 'Why doesn't he give his birth certificate? Why doesn't he show i?. Why are there no records in the hospital, why does his grandmother say he was born in Kenya?
Celebrity obsessed: Trump faces some of the female contestants on the latest season of The Apprentice
TRUMP-ISMS THIS MONTH
Here is a selection of Trump quotes from the last couple of weeks:
On Obama's birthplace: 'If you go back to my first grade, my kindergarten, people remember me. Nobody from those early years remembers him.' And ....
'One of the greatest cons in the history of politics and beyond.'
On asking for donations to fund his campaign: 'I think it’s important for voters to invest in the direction of the country.'
On blaming Obama for rising oil prices: 'He’s in bed with OPEC. He doesn't speak the way you have to speak to them.'
On China: 'I am bothering on China - China is absolutely ripping off our country, China's taking our jobs, taking our money and loaning it back to us.'
On religion: 'I think the Bible is certainly, it is the book. It is the thing.'
On the Democrats: 'I’m their worst nightmare. I am not the person that they want to run against and they know it.'
On Obama's policy on Libya: ‘Nobody knows what's happening, and now it looks like Gadaffi is going to beat the United States.'
Obama has already released a certificate showing that he was born in a Hawaii hospital and has referred to announcements of his birth in Honolulu newspapers as proof he was born there.
Several 'birther' blogs, however, have repeated the claim that Obama's grandmother said he was born in Kenya. She says she never said that in the first place.
The White House has dismissed the potential Trump candidacy as a 'side show,' adding that he has 'zero chance' of winning, the New York Daily News reports.
In response, the defiant Mr Trump hit back: 'The one person they don't want to run against is me because I tell it like it is.'
'I look at the country. It's never been worse. It's run at a level that I've never seen anything like it. This is Jimmy Carter-esqe.
'I'm very seriously considering running and I'll make my decision sometime prior to June.'
Mr Trump began his potential campaign by trying to woo conservative Republicans.
But this week he revealed he is open to running as an independent if he fails to win the GOP nomination.
In an interview with Time magazine, it would Mr Trump may not have done all his homework on American politics.
Asked about how many members serve in the House of Representatives, Mr Trump said he knew the answer but replied: Well, I don't want to answer your questions because this isn't a history class.
'You could get some stiff that knows every one of those answers, but is incapable of governing.'
But once again refused to come off the fence about his candidacy.
He told Time 'you have no assurance' about his plans, but added: 'NBC wants to renew The Apprentice for three seasons. I've told them, "I'm sorry. At this moment, I can't think about that because I have a big decision to make".'
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