AP/Randall Hill
Donald Trump.
In a conversation with Business Insider on Tuesday, the real estate executive and television personality said he is seriously considering a run for president because the US is getting left in the dust as the Mexican, Chinese, and Japanese economies surge ahead.
"Mexico is just ripping us left and right. Mexico!" he said, citing a Tuesday Wall Street Journal article on auto companies shifting their operations to Mexico. "This has got to end."
"China is ripping us left and right," he added. "Japan is now devaluing our currency."
Earlier in the day, Trump announced he is forming a political committee to explore a presidential campaign. This sort of PAC would allow him to finance the early stages of a White House bid, including travel and the political staffers he recently hired.
"I am the only one who can make America truly great again!" he said in his announcement statement.
Critics often dismiss Trump's potential candidacy as a stunt because he flirted with a presidential bid in 2012 and a New York gubernatorial bid in 2014. But Trump insisted to Business Insider that he's not joking around when it comes to running for higher office.
"I will say this: The only knock on me was, 'Oh he's just having a good time. He's just having fun,'" he said. "I was looking at this very seriously last time. I'm not having fun. ... It's really about saving the country. The country can't continue like this."
Trump didn't say when he'll make his final decision whether or not to run, but he suggested the timing for his announcement will depend on what the other candidates are doing. And although the field of Republican contenders continues to grow and grow, Trump said he'll be able to stand out because his potential rivals are all "politicians."
"Politicians are fun to negotiate with because they're really easy. They're all talk and no action," he said. "Frankly, this country, it's got such tremendous potential if we had leaders that knew what they were doing. We have leaders who are grossly incompetent. And President Obama is at the top of the list."
Trump went on to cite his experience turning around the Doral Resort & Spa in Miami, which he bought out of bankruptcy for $150 million in 2012.
"Take a look at Doral. I bought that 3 years ago and now it's the hottest thing there is. I fixed it," he said. "Now it's one of the top resorts in the world. And I bought it for the right price. So that's what I do."