Perot to Limit His Appearances to Prepare for White House Bid

Sounding like a presidential contender poised for competition, Ross Perot said Tuesday he would curtail his public appearances to concentrate on building a campaign organization for a bid for the White House.

Perot, the Texas billionaire businessman, told the annual convention of the American Newspaper Publishers Assn. that he would spend the next several weeks also finalizing strategy and developing “carefully thought out positions” on major issues.

Asked when he would formally enter the race, Perot replied, “watch my lips,” a reference to President Bush’s 1988 campaign vow of “read my lips” that he would not raise taxes.

Perot said that organizations are in place in all 50 states to put his name on the presidential ballot, and “at this point, I will cut back since the volunteers are so well organized across the country they no longer need my public support.”

Perot said that by June it would be obvious whether he was formally seeking the White House.

He addressed the publishers as a new poll showed that he would run virtually even with Bush if this were November. The Times-Mirror poll taken within the last week showed Bush at 33% to 30% for Clinton and Perot.

Perot said his volunteers share some beliefs that easily could form the basis for his campaign platform.

“They are really sick and tired of a government in gridlock,” he said. “They are really upset about a Washington apparatus where the White House gets up and Congress gets up and they throw rocks at one another all day long instead of working together for the benefit of the American people. That is a major concern.”