Real estate tycoon Donald Trump has hinted to Americans that a presidential run in 2016 may be in the works.
Trump has been inching his way into the political scene for quite some time, but it was the $1 million he recently spent on "research" that has sparked once more.
And while some are writing off his actions as simply, "This is Donald being Donald," Michael Cohen, Trump's executive vice president and special counsel shared that the money was spent in research in 2011 to gather information as it related to the Obama-won 2012 presidential elections.
"The electoral research was commissioned," he said. "We did not spend $1 million in this research for it just to sit on a bookshelf."
The testing was conducted state by state and was a comprehensive survey of all the data Trump would need to get on each state's ballot for his party.
It also provided information for what he would need to do to win each state, too.
"Everybody tells me, 'Please run for president. Please run for president.' I would be much happier if a great an competent person came along," Trump told those attending the Michigan Republican Part Lincoln Day Dinner last week in Oakland County, Mich. "I'm a Republican, but before anything, I love this country. I would love to see somebody come in who is going to be great."
In the last presidential election season, Trump made the most noise when he joined, and all but led, the Birther movement forcing the White House to release a copy of President Obama's long-form birth certificate.
"I know that there is going to a segment of people for which no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest," said President Obama in response to the controversy. "But I am speaking for the vast majority of the American people as well as for the press. We do not have time for this silliness. We have better stuff to do... We have got big problems to solve."
Watch this 2011 video from ABC's "The View" as Trump defends "Birthers," talks presidential run:
