If there’s one lesson to be learned from the saga of Donald Trump, it’s don’t believe your own hype. The real estate mogul spent weeks in the headlines speculating about President Obama’s birthplace and citizenship, which won him the hearts of Tea Party patriots everywhere. Despite the absurdity of his theories, which he expanded to include questions about Obama’s academic abilities, this time last month Trump was leading in the polls, garnering 26 percent of support among Republican voters. That didn’t last long, though.

According to a survey released by Public Policy Polling (PPP) this week, his spot at the top of the polls has been usurped by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who’s still weighing whether to run for president.

The Donald was having way too much fun at the president’s expense, and Obama clearly grew tired of the distraction. After he released a copy of his birth certificate last week, Obama pretty much neutered Trump and weakened voters’ interest in him.

“Donald Trump had a meteoric rise to the top of the GOPpPresidential field and has fallen back down just as quickly,” said Dean Debnam, PPP president. “Republicans voters burned out on him pretty fast, especially after the birther issue lost some of its potency with the release of President Obama’s birth certificate.”

Trump likes to brag about how great he is at building a brand. As previous bankruptcies and his flirtation with presidential politics have shown, he’s also pretty great at ruining one, too.

(Photo: David Becker/Getty Images)