During an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday, billionaire Donald Trump said he would spend up to $600 million of his own money on a presidential campaign should he decide to run in 2012.
"That's one of the nice things. I mean, part of the beauty of me is that I'm very rich," he said in the exclusive interview conducted aboard his private plane. "So if I need $600 million, I can put $600 million myself. That's a huge advantage. I must tell you, that's a huge advantage over the other candidates."
Trump later signaled, however, that he does not think his affluence would adversely affect his ability to connect with voters. The real estate mogul and media personality is expected to announce whether or not he plans to run this summer.
"You know the funny thing, I don't get along with rich people," he said. "I get along with the middle class and the poor people better than I get along with the rich people."
Trump said if he runs and fails to secure the Republican nomination to go up against President Barack Obama, he'd consider mounting an independent campaign.
It may perhaps come as a surprise that during the segment Trump expressed a bit of doubt over whether the president was born in the United States. "Everybody that even gives a hint of being a birther," he said. "The reason I have a little doubt, just a little, is because he grew up and nobody knew him."
Also during the interview, Trump addressed House Speaker John Boehner's tendency to shed tears in the public.
"I don't like the crying," he said of the waterworks. "I do not like it. I don't understand it. I really like him as a person. I think the crying is an emotional thing that frankly, probably makes him a very nice man. But you know, I don't like to see it in a leader."
Click here to read more on what Trump had to say on ABC's "Good Morning America." Below, a clip of the interview.
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