Trump: ‘I’m in it to win it’

Donald Trump said he is very serious about running for president, and brushed aside opponents who say otherwise.

Trump cites the business deals he has given up to avoid conflicts of interest as the top piece of evidence about how serious he is.

{mosads}“I’m in it to win it,” Trump told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“Look, I gave up a lot,” he said. “I gave up hundreds of millions of dollars in deals and potential, you know things that I do.”

Tapper told Trump that many commentators and others in the country think he is only running for the GOP nomination because of his ego or to promote his brand.

But Trump said that is dead wrong. His canceled business deals, including his decision not to star in a new season of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” show that.

“NBC renewed The Apprentice, because we had a great season last season,” Trump said. “And they would love me not to be doing this, I will tell you right now. I mean, the top people come to my office and they said ‘please do this,’ but I’m not doing it.”

Trump added that the cost of running for president are “peanuts” compared to what he could be making.

“I’m giving up a prime time television show. I’m giving that up to do this,” he said.

He also defended his history of political donations, including to Democrats like presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

“I’m a business,” he said of the need to donate to people in power. “They’ve always treated me nicely … we need that in Washington.”