Feb 02, 2012

Reports: Trump ready to back Romney

By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY
Updated 4m ago

Donald Trump is reportedly ready to endorse Mitt Romney for president, capping a wild ride of speculation about the real estate mogul's intentions.

The Associated Press cites three unnamed GOP officials who say Trump will endorse the GOP front-runner, who is poised to score another victory in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday.

CNN, NBC News, Fox News and others are also reporting Trump's endorsement of Romney, set for this afternoon at Trump's hotel in Las Vegas. Earlier, the AP and others reported Trump was set to back Newt Gingrich, citing sources close to the Gingrich campaign.

Does it matter? A Fox News poll in September showed 62% of registered voters said Trump's endorsement would make no difference in how they would vote in the election.

But the see-sawing about Trump's endorsement is another example of how the developer/reality TV star has been able to inject himself in the political debate. He flirted with the idea of running for the GOP nomination last year, and made President Obama's birth certificate a central focus.

Trump also made headlines when it was announced that he would moderate a debate before the Iowa caucuses, organized by the conservative website NewsMax. But several candidates, led by Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman, balked at participating in what they believed would become a political circus.

Meetings with Trump in his New York City office have been something of a political ritual in this campaign. Gingrich and Romney both made the trek, as did Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Herman Cain when they were in the race. Trump even appeared with Gingrich before TV cameras after their meeting, and praised his ideas for getting kids a job.

Trump recently has had positive things to say about both candidates, but that hasn't always been the case. In an interview with Meghan McCain for The Daily Beast, Trump said Romney was "going to lose" the presidency because "he doesn't resonate."

Reports: Trump ready to back Romney