As prepared for delivery on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019 at the annual combined meeting of the American Beverage Association and the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Thank you for allowing me this opportunity today. I come to you with a simple message.

I’m a billionaire and I’m running for president of the United States of America.

I seek the highest office in the land not because I want to, but because it is simply the popular demand of our time. Across our great nation, there is a groundswell of support—in the penthouses of San Francisco, the boutique venture capital firms of Seattle, in the boardrooms of Wall Street and from the Burning Man profiteers in Silicon Valley—for a new “Vital Center” to challenge the deadly stranglehold of the two political parties who share equal blame for our current predicament. To turn my back and ignore the growing chorus of previously unemployed political consultants dreaming of a Centrist Independent to save them would be an act of selfishness unworthy of my personal brand.

My message to Republicans and Democrats alike has been clear. Call me. If nominated, I will run. If elected, I will serve.

But if that call never comes, I cannot rest. I cannot escape history. The American people demand a leader with the courage to speak in truisms and platitudes. The United States needs a president unafraid to instantly criticize the proposals of others, and instead bravely offer vapid bromides about “innovation,” “team-building,” and “best practices” to confront the challenges of our age. From Maine to the Mexican border, from Portland to the Panhandle of Florida, Americans are yearning for a chief executive who won’t shrink in the face of opportunity for self-aggrandizement.

And that’s why I want to be your president. Because I am such a leader. And MY STORY IS THE AMERICAN STORY.

Mine is an inspiring riches-to-more-riches tale. I made my money the old-fashioned way: I inherited it.