On the season finale of hit TV show The Apprentice, Donald Trump “may announce the time and place of a press conference at which time he will make a statement as to whether or not he will run for President of the United States,” according to his advisor.

By even entertaining the possibility of doing so, Trump has just lost all his credibility as a serious presidential candidate. He also made a mockery of the 2012 presidential race and the democratic process of the United States.

Whether he actually makes the announcement or not is irrelevant. The mere buzz and speculation will surely drive up ratings for the season finale of The Apprentice. In fact, Trump’s recent media tour has already given a boost to regular season episodes of his show.

In a Wall Street Journal interview, Trump claimed he doesn’t need to pump ratings for The Apprentice because the show is already rated number one on NBC. That logic, however, is completely idiotic.

The Apprentice may be number one on NBC right now, but it’s not the highest rated current program on all of TV and not even close to being the highest rated TV program of all time.

It’s obvious that everyone involved with The Apprentice wants better ratings. Does Trump seriously want America to believe that people in the TV business cease wanting higher ratings just because a show is number one on NBC?

If Trump was serious about running – and becoming the reluctant political savior of America – he would not blatantly abuse the presidential process. He would not have made any type of presidential announcements on The Apprentice.

When Fox Nation first reported that he might do so, and Trump was subsequently questioned about it, he should have categorically denied any and all such possibilities, in any shape or form.

Trump should learn from John McCain, a true American patriot and an honorable man.

When McCain ran for president in 2008, his teenage son Jimmy McCain was deployed in Iraq as a soldier.

The elder McCain could have easily abused and milked that story for political capital. It undoubtedly would have gotten him many votes.

But John McCain loved his son and his country; he had too much respect and reverence for the democratic process of the United States. He avoided any and all direct mentions of his son and only on rare occasions made vague and cryptic references.

As a result, the vast majority of Americans at that time had no clue about Jimmy McCain.

Trump, on the other hand, is making a mockery of the very things that John McCain revered.

In almost every interview, Trump mentions how great of a show The Apprentice is. He also constantly brings up the birther issue.

Some (left-leaning individuals) have used those two facts to discredit his seriousness. However, Trump deserved the benefit of doubt back then because his business success was a selling point for his candidacy and many Americans do have doubts about Obama’s actual birth place. (Constant mentions of The Apprentice, however, was still in poor taste and questionable because he could have cited other examples of business success).

Now, Trump has crossed the line and lost all his credibility by involving The Apprentice. He should no longer be given the benefit of doubt and all previous evidence suggesting that he’s a charlatan should be used against him.

Trump’s views so far have struck a chord with many Americans. His plain-spoken and aggressive criticisms towards Obama and tough stance against China have appealed to many.

These Americans, however, should look for a political savior elsewhere.

Trump isn’t for real. He’s just doing it for attention.