ASHINGTON - If you don't believe Donald J. Trump is serious about running for president, the New York City developer has an unlikely suggestion: Read the National Enquirer.
No, Trump said, he is not referring to the Enquirer's many stories about his former wives Ivana or Marla, or the tales about his dates with supermodels, or even the recent item about ''Billionaire ladies' man Donald Trump.'' Trump is enraptured by a recent Enquirer poll that shows he would make a strong presidential candidate.
In truth, the poll of just 100 people doesn't sound terribly scientific, and it actually shows Trump in second place behind Republican George W. Bush. But to Trump, this is a ''very powerful poll'' that could persuade him to seek the Reform Party nomination.
''This is all poll-driven,'' Trump said in an interview, adding that he is very seriously exploring a White House run. As for his brand of made-for-the-tabloids living, Trump said: ''My life and lifestyle have been very well-documented. I don't think people will vote against me or for me because I go out with supermodels.''
Trump, author of ''The Art of the Deal'' and ''The Art of the Comeback,'' said he would tap some of his estimated $2 billion fortune if he runs for the Reform Party nomination. He expects to decide by January whether to run.
After a week of speculation about Trump's plans, Trump lashed out at Patrick J. Buchanan, a possible top rival for the party's nomination, for writing in a just-published book that Adolf Hitler presented no threat to the United States during World War II. Buchanan also writes in ''A Republic, Not an Empire,'' that ''After World War II, Jewish influence over foreign policy became almost an obsession with American leaders.'' Trump said Buchanan's comments about Hitler ''are crazy.''
While Buchanan said Sunday that his book has been quoted out of context, the controversy might slow his plans to leave the Republican Party and run for the Reform Party nomination, boosting Trump's standing. Buchanan could not be reached for comment.
Trump yesterday reveled in the attention, noting that many of the Republican candidates for president were ''begging him [Buchanan] not to leave the party. It is inconceivable to me that I am the only one who took him on, and I am not even a politician, and that's maybe why people might like me.''
At the same time, Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, the highest elected official in the Reform Party, is opposing Buchanan's candidacy and urging Trump to run.
Trump and Ventura share some political characteristics. Both men are political outsiders whose celebrity gives them instant name recognition. Both declare themselves to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal, a contrast with Buchanan, who is antiabortion and socially conservative. ''Jesse is a friend of mine,'' Trump said, adding that the two have talked about a possible candidacy.
If Trump were to run, his money might make it easier to gain the party's nomination. Under the Reform Party rules, a national primary will be held in July, leaving no time for a candidate to catch on slowly by winning a few early states.
The incoming Reform Party chairman, Jack Gargan, said in a recent interview that he is concerned a well-financed candidate could ''stuff the ballot box'' for the primary and walk away with the nomination.
''It is a much easier system'' than the state contests held by the Republican and Democratic parties, Trump said. ''It is not as rigorous. In many respects, it is much more civil.''
Trump is viewed as a wild longshot and could draw votes away from both the Democratic and Republican candidates, while Buchanan was seen mostly as taking votes away from the Republican nominee.
''You have to assume that the cash guarantees him a place at the table,'' said political analyst Stuart Rothenberg, referring to Trump. ''I really don't think people have a good handle on who he is, and to the extent they do, I'm not sure it's favorable. He sure doesn't look and dress as an outsider. But I'm prepared to look at anybody who has lots of money and political ambition.''
Trump once wrote that he doesn't like the ''bad custom'' of shaking hands because it spreads so many germs. Asked how he would handle this staple of campaigning, Trump said, ''Well, I guess I would just do that, wouldn't I?''
Trump said he has a compelling life story that would resonate with people of lesser means. His father, Fred, who died earlier this year, made a fortune building housing for lower- and middle-income families. Trump is fond of saying he grew up in Queens.
''I didn't always live in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue,'' he said. ''I think my best group of people are the so-called working people.''
