US tycoon and television celebrity Donald Trump has ended weeks of speculation by saying he will not be running for the United States presidency in 2012.
Mr Trump says he is not ready to leave the private sector and that his ultimate passion remains in business, the BBC reports.
He says the decision did not come easily or without regret.
Mr Trump says he has spent the past several months unofficially campaigning and recognised that running for public office could not be done half-heartedly.
The New York businessman has been flirting with a presidential bid for weeks, even travelling to early primary states like New Hampshire.
Reuters reports that Mr Trump's support for the Republican nomination fell from 26% in April to just 8% in early May in surveys done by Public Policy Polling.
Last month, Mr Trump demanded that President Barack Obama release copies of his birth certificate, renewing rumours that Mr Obama was not born in the US.
The president ultimately released the certificate, and Mr Trump took credit for forcing Mr Obama's hand, the BBC says.
The news comes only days after Mike Huckabee, a Republican and former governor of the US state of Arkansas, announced he would not seek the Republican nomination for the presidency.
