Yeah, well even in 2012 he wasn't joking about running even though pundits and other supposed experts thought it was some kind of promotional marketing for the apprentice.
He was going to run in 2012 and bowed out around May of 2012 from campaign because with much pressure he had forced Obama to produce a birth certificate. A birth certificate which some still say is fake.
Press release in 2012
"This decision does not come easily or without regret; especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country. I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election. I have spent the past several months unofficially campaigning and recognize that running for public office cannot be done half heartedly. Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector."
So were you get that he originaly ran as a joke that he started is beyond reality and whether you actually mean 2012 or 2016 it is a lie. Fake .