GOP pollster: Trump "very serious" about 2012 bid
Donald Trump met last week with a high-level Republican polling and consulting firm, in yet another signal the billionaire businessman is laying the groundwork for a presidential bid.
Jim and John McLaughlin, who have done extensive polling and consulting for a number of prominent conservative candidates over the years, both told CBS News that Trump was serious about running.
Trump is now actively reaching out to a number of people, as he weighs whether he will get into the race and which advisers and consultants will help guide his campaign if he does.
"I don't think there's any question he's serious," Jim McLaughlin told CBS News. "I think he's running."
John McLaughlin told CBS News that not only was Trump was "very serious" about making a presidential bid, but that he's putting in the work to get ready and is "doing more of his homework and preparation than people might expect."
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"If he does do this, he's going to play all out to win," John McLaughlin said. "He's going to approach it like he has his business."
The McLaughlins would seem particularly well suited to advise Trump. Their client roster includes a number of anti-establishment conservatives, including former presidential candidates Steve Forbes and Fred Thompson and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
