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Did NBC talk Celebrity Apprentice star Donald Trump out of running for president in 2012? One exec at the Peacock suggested as much in a recent interview.

According to NBC Chairman Robert Greenblatt, the public has actually gotten off lucky regarding the controversial, outspoken real estate mogul in the media.

“We talked him out of running for president,” he joked. “Wasn’t that good enough?”

Donald Trump in NJ
(Getty)

Yes.

The first Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars trailer has been released, but the focus is still on Trump himself and his bombastic antics over the past 12 months.

 

Asked about Trump’s remarks during the presidential race – which the Donald threatened to join himself – and if he considered stepping in, Greenblatt said:

“That’s a good question. I don’t really know the answer to it. We live in this country where you can sort of say anything you want as long as you’re not harming people.

“He’s got a political belief system and we talk to him all the time. I really don’t think that what he’s doing in his personal life is going to corrupt what’s happening on the show.”

“That said, if he sort of becomes somehow hurtful or says or does things that cross a line, then I guess we would figure out what to do about that.”

“He keeps a lot of publicists very busy, but so far we’re fine.”

From challenging Obama’s birth certificate to staging that huge PR stunt to ranting about Obama’s victory, he certainly kept us busy during the 2012 race.

Since then he’s been feuding with Cher on Twitter, suing bitter Miss USA contestants for libel and mocking Gabriel Aubry. Just hasn’t been the same.

When does Celebrity Apprentice start up again?