Faced with the choice of hosting The Apprentice or taking on Barack Obama in next year's election, Donald Trump opted to stick with his television programme.

The multimillionaire has formally announced he will not be joining the small band of candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the White House race.

Few US political commentators took his campaign seriously and many suggested he was only in it for the publicity.

In a statement, he said: "After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the presidency. This decision does not come easily or without regret, especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country."