Obama's "Subdued" Reaction to Trump

Donald Trump/AP image

The White House said President Obama had a "subdued" reaction to the news that real estate mogul Donald Trump would not be challenging the him in the 2012 election

"Nothing -- surprisingly subdued reaction, I would say," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday with a sly smile of Trump's announcement.

Would there be a "certificate" proving the president's reaction, someone joked in the White House briefing.

"That's a good one. I wish I'd thought of that. But, no, he did not have a particularly notable reaction," Carney said.

Trump made headlines in recent months when he pushed for Obama to reveal his long-form birth certificate. He surprised many political observers by doing well in the polls initially, but after the president released his certificate, his popularity waned. Many thought he couldn't get past revealing his financial records. Trump however did say he felt he would have been able to beat Obama, but instead decided to rehire himself as host of "The Apprentice."

Carney was then asked if there were fist pounds around the White House and he responded, "I'm not even going to go there."

There were times, it seems the White House did engage and maybe even enjoy the thought of a potential Trump match-up. At the White House Correspondent's Dinner in late April during a speech where the president cracks jokes with the press, Obama noted some tough decisions Trump had to make on his show, "so ultimately you didn't blame Lil John or Meat Loaf. You fired Gary Busey. And these are the kinds of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well-handled, sir. Well-handled."

Vice President Joe Biden at a fundraiser last month also said he was looking forward to a talking to Republicans about their plan for the economy. "That's a debate I can hardly wait for - hopefully with Donald Trump," he said.