UPDATE May 16: Donald Trump told audiences at NBC's 2011 Upfront Presentations that he will not run for president.

If Donald Trump does throw decide his hat into the ring as an official 2012 Presidential candidate, he'll lose his place at the 'Apprentice' boardroom table. NBC President Bob Greenblatt has announced that the show will go on without Trump at the helm.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Greenblatt said that, although the network hopes to have Trump back for the next season, "If he decides to run and is unavailable to do the show, we will bring the show back and someone else will be sitting at the head of the board table."

However, Greenblatt wouldn't be drawn on who Trump's replacement could be. (Gary Busey, anyone?) "Who that is, we're not going to really entertain, because I'm still hoping we'll have Donald back in the seat."

After weeks of battling with Star Jones, NeNe Leakes controversially walked out of 'The Celebrity Apprentice' Sunday night. Now, with celebrities and others lobbing the racist label at Donald Trump, NeNe's friends say that quitting the show in the shocking -- and low-rated -- episode, was a smart, principled move.

"Everything will ultimately work out for NeNe," said a friend of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' star. "In the long run she was much better off to quit and walk away than get a job with Donald Trump."

It should be noted that each celebrity is playing to raise money for their charity rather than get a job within Trump's organization. It should also be noted that the 'Celebrity Apprentice' we're seeing on Sundays was taped months ago, before The Donald's now-floundering bid for the White House and string of attacks on President Obama that many believe reek of racism.