Republicans to Trump: You’re fired. PPP POLL: Huck 19, Mittens 18, New 13, Palin 12, Trump 8, Paul

Republicans to Trump: You’re fired

Raleigh, N.C. – If there were any question that President Obama’s release of his longform
birth certificate two weeks ago effectively ended Donald Trump’s brief 15 minutes
at the top of the Republican presidential heap, PPP’s latest national survey of Republican
primary voters shows that Trump has fallen from first place by nine points in last month’s
poll to a tie for fifth, barely ahead of the seventh-place candidate.
In April, PPP found Trump with sole possession of the lead for Republican voters’
preferences for the nomination. He topped Mike Huckabee 26-17. But now Huckabee is
back in a narrow lead with 19% to Mitt Romney’s 18%, Newt Gingrich’s 13%, Sarah
Palin’s 12%, Trump’s and Ron Paul’s 8%, Michele Bachmann’s 7%, and Tim Pawlenty’s
5%.

34% of these voters still do not believe the president was born in this country. But that is
down from 51% in the February poll. Trump’s advantage with the birthers has eroded
even further. Last month, PPP asked a different question—whether Republicans would
vote for a candidate who affirmed Obama’s citizenship. But while Trump led 37-13 over
Huckabee and Palin with the 23% who then said they would not vote for an avowed nonbirther,
he now gets no more support among the remaining birthers than he does among
the 48% near-majority who believe Obama was born in the country. He pulls 9% with
the former and 8% with the latter. In fact, it is now Palin and Bachmann who do almost
twice as well with birthers as non-birthers. Romney’s candidacy also runs up against a
wall with people who still refuse to acknowledge the president’s birthplace—he leads 22-
19 over Huckabee with non-birthers but is in fourth at 13% with birthers.

“Donald Trump had a meteoric rise to the top of the GOP Presidential field and has fallen
back down just as quickly,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.
“Republicans voters burned out on him pretty fast, especially after the birther issue lost
some of its potency with the release of President Obama’s birth certificate.”

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http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_US_0510925.pdf

Trump: 'I Can See Now Why Ross Perot Dropped Out' (VIDEO)

The media heat might be starting to get to Donald Trump. As he said last night on Fox News, he can see why another businessman who eyed the White House, Ross Perot, briefly dropped out of the race in 1992.

"I feel fine about it. I mean, ultimately, the country supersedes all of it, and I feel fine about it," said Trump. "But I have heard over a lifetime that if you have really accomplished a lot and done a lot, you cannot run for high political office -- and I can see why.

"I can see now why Ross Perot dropped out. You know, he dropped out of the race, and then he went back in a week later. But he dropped out of the race. And I heard from people that were involved that he was just getting hammered, because he did a lot. He did a lot of deals, a lot of everything. And he didn't like it. And I guess he had a second thought, and he went back in. But I can understand it, and it's certainly not that pleasant, but it's something I can handle."

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http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/05/trump-i-can-see-now-why-ross-perot-dropped-out-video.php