Sunday, February 20th 2011, 4:00 AM

Brandon/APDonald Trump waves after addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington this past Thursday.

Donal Trump's name is splashed across casinos, condos and skyscrapers - yet despite years of speculation, it's never appeared on a ballot.

The latest buzz about candidate Trump comes courtesy of the Draft Trump 2012 Committee, which hopes to get The Donald into the race for The White House.

The group - neither funded by nor connected to Trump - is angling to put the billionaire developer's name on the ballot in four early battleground states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

The driving force behind the campaign is Missourian Nick McLaughlin, a Marine and Iraq war veteran.

"I have never met Mr. Trump," McLaughlin said. "But I am certain he is the man America needs."

New York political veteran Lynn Krogh, one-time deputy press secretary for Gov. George Pataki, is working as the group's national political director.

Trump's "straightforward, no-nonsense response to the problems facing all Americans is a breath of fresh air," she said.

And legendary GOP dirty trickster Roger Stone has been fanning the flames for a Trump bid.

"No one understands the power of television like Trump," Stone crowed on his website. "Trump could dominate 2011 debates and emerge as a real candidate."

Trump has indicated he's thinking about a 2012 run, with a decision to come in the future.

He stole the show with an impromptu speech at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, telling the audience he's "pro-life" and against gun control, higher taxes and President Obama's health-care law.

Continuing his theme that "the United States has become a whipping post for the rest of the world," he told MSNBC last week: "What I would be doing is, I'd be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars from other countries.

"As an example, we protect South Korea. Why aren't they paying us? We have thousands of troops in European countries. ... If we're protecting countries, why aren't they paying for it?

"I would tax China because they are manipulating the currency. They are taking all of our jobs. China is an absolute abuser of the United States. They have no respect for our leadership. ... We would take in hundreds of billions of dollars."

It's hardly the first time Trump's name - and hyperbole - has been linked to a presidential race. He first broached the subject in a 1988 interview, admitting the idea had crossed his mind. In 1999, Trump considered plunging into the race as a Reform Party candidate.

He eventually decided the public scrutiny, the financial disclosure forms and the weekends in Nashua, N.H., weren't worth it.

Despite his lack of campaign experience, the 64-year-old Trump has never lacked confidence in his ability to run the country as easily as he runs a boardroom on "The Apprentice."

"My record has been that of a winner," he told the Boston Globe back in 1988. "If I run, I'd win."

Skeptics abound.

When Trump toyed with the idea of an earlier national run, longtime critic Ed Koch suggested his campaign was merely an effort "to sell condos."

Trump already is sparring with presidential hopeful Ron Paul, telling CPAC the 11-term congressman had zero chance of winning.

The Texas Republican fired back quickly: "How many times has Donald Trump been elected?"

The answer, of course: zero.