DES MOINES, Iowa — Real estate magnate Donald Trump will deliver a speech in the all-important presidential campaign state of Iowa in June, escalating expectations that the mogul is quite serious about mounting a possible 2012 White House run.
Trump, 64, who has made several recent declarations that he is considering challenging President Barack Obama, will make his first trip to the Hawkeye State as a would-be candidate to speak at the Iowa Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner June 10.
The current star of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” has said he will make a decision about entering the presidential race before June — when he is scheduled to travel to New Hampshire, another hot spot on the campaign circuit.
Trump will address the politically important “Politics and Eggs” series in Concord, N.H., that month, marking his first announced visit to the leadoff primary state since making noise about a presidential run this cycle.
The Iowa announcement also comes on the heels of a visit to the Midwestern caucus state by one of Trump’s top advisers. Michael Cohen, who co-founded the website “shouldtrumprun.com,” traveled there March 8 to meet with Republican insiders in an apparent fact-finding mission for the billionaire mogul.
“We are very anxious to learn about Iowa and report back to Mr. Trump, when he hopefully decides to run in June,” Cohen said.
The never-shy Trump has sought to portray himself as a political outsider with business credentials whose focus would be restoring American competitiveness in the world.
Earlier this year, at a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., Trump blasted Obama for failing to stand up to China and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
“We need a competitive person,” Trump said. “We need a highly competent person or we’re going to have serious trouble very quickly.”
“If I run and if I win, this country will be respected again,” he declared.
The billionaire has also touted his fortune as part of his appeal.
“Part of the beauty of me is that I am very rich,” he said, adding that he was prepared to toss in $600 million of his own cash to fund a campaign.
In a recent Newsweek/Daily Beast poll, 41 percent of Republicans and independents said they would vote for Trump in a head-to-head election against President Barack Obama — more than would support former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a similar match up.
Tickets for the Lincoln Day Dinner in Iowa are being sold for $100 each, or $150 to be seated closer to the stage.