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Donald Trump talks Miss Universe pageant, 'seriously' looking at 2016 presidential run

Donald Trump, owner of the Miss Universe pageant, executive producer and host of "The Apprentice," and recent speaker at the Iowa Freedom Summit, joined the Weekend TODAY team from Miami to talk about the international beauty pageant, and how seriously he is considering a 2016 presidential run.On if he will run for president in 2016: "I'm looking at it very seriously," he said. "The country is in

Donald Trump, owner of the Miss Universe pageant, executive producer and host of "The Apprentice," and recent speaker at the Iowa Freedom Summit, joined the Weekend TODAY team from Miami to talk about the international beauty pageant, and how seriously he is considering a 2016 presidential run.


  • On if he will run for president in 2016: "I'm looking at it very seriously," he said. "The country is in very serious trouble. We're making so many mistakes, and certainly I want to make America great again."
  • On the controversy surrounding a selfie that Miss Israel posted with Miss Lebanon: "It's very sad to see this happening," he said. "Wouldn't it be interesting to see Miss Israel and Miss Lebanon standing together as the final 15."
  • On the relevance of beauty pageants in 2015: "It's the age-old thing; it's never going to die — magnificently beautiful women," he said. "The Miss Universe pageant is known to have the most beautiful women in the world ... Whether it's politically correct or not, who cares, it's a formula that will never die."
  • On what sets this season of "The Apprentice" apart: "I think one of the reasons it's doing so well is we have the 1-hour shows, which are really better than the two hours, which are so long," he said. "And, I think the cast has been fantastic."

Before closing out the interview, Trump gave high praise to a member of TODAY's extended family, Lester Holt's son, Stefan, who is the morning news anchor at NBC Chicago. "He may be as good as you, Lester," Trump said. "He was very very good."