Conservatives hear from 2012 contenders

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Just how wide open is the Republican presidential field? Vast enough that Donald Trump may want you to hire him.

The billionaire real-estate mogul and host of television’s “The Apprentice” got a raucous reception Thursday when he dangled a potential candidacy before thousands of conservatives who descended on the nation’s capital eager to help a GOP challenger deny President Barack Obama a second term.

“The United States is becoming the laughingstock of the world,” Trump said, sounding every bit a candidate as he offered his rationale for a possible bid. In a speech sprinkled with quips and jabs, he said he would decide by June whether to run.

Trump was among nearly a dozen potential presidential candidates, in various stages and sincerity of considering a 2012 run, auditioning before 11,000 conservatives at the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference.

The annual gathering marked the unofficial start of the GOP presidential nomination fight. Not a single Republican has entered the race, and each day seems to bring a new contender in a crowded field that lacks a front-runner to take on the Democratic incumbent.

Would-be contenders were using the event to test messages, introduce themselves and gauge support.

“This is about making Barack Obama a one-term president,” said Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, a tea-party favorite who’s flirting with a bid. Opening the conference as the keynote speaker, she said, “We’re all about winning in 2012.” She didn’t say whether she planned to enter the race for real.

Neither did former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

He did give a glimpse of his likely platform, using his speech to criticize Obama’s policies as a “war on American energy” and propose replacing the Environmental Protection Agency with an Environmental Solutions Agency that he said would reward innovation, could help create jobs and increase national security.