TRUMP OPENS WAY TO INDEPENDENT WHITE HOUSE RUN

(FILES): This March 31, 2011 file photo shows Real estate mogul and reality TV personality Donald Trump talking to the press after receiving the American Automobile Association's (AAA) Five-Diamond Award for Trump's International Hotel & Tower New York at the hotel in New York City, New York. Trump has quit the Republican Party to register as an independent, opening the way for a potential outsider run at the White House, reports said December 23, 2011. Trump did this "in order to preserve his right to run as an independent... if he is not satisfied with whom the candidate is," his lawyer Michael Cohen told The Hill political news website. The make-over of Trump, who has persistently flirted with a presidential attempt, was also reported by Politico and other specialist sites. Known for his blustery mane and defiantly garish tastes in real estate, Trump has huge name recognition and a large personal fortune. However he has little in the way of a campaign network, or a political following. AFP PHOTO / Files / TIMOTHY A. CLARY