Trump blesses Romney after a puzzling day
Guessing game is lead-in to Trump’s Vegas cliff-hanger.
LAS VEGAS — With his trademark flair for spectacle, Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president Thursday on the famed Las Vegas strip — just hours after Newt Gingrich’s advisers were spreading the word that The Donald would be anointing him instead.
Romney said he was glad for the support, but seemed bemused to be caught up in the Trump drama.
“There are some things you just can’t imagine happening. This is one of them,” Romney said with a smile, looking out at the reporters and cameras jammed into the lobby of the hotel complex that bears Trump’s name.
The real estate mogul had entered to applause, with Romney and his wife, Ann, at his side
“Mitt is tough, he’s smart, he’s sharp and he’s not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country we all love,” Trump said. He vigorously shook Romney’s hand and said, “Go out and get ’em. You can do it.”
Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania countered with an endorsement of his own, that of former Nevada state Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, a favorite of the Tea Party, but a pariah to many Republicans after her 2010 loss to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-nev.
Trump, a multimillionaire and host of a reality show where he famously proclaims “You’re fired,” said he wasn’t worried that his endorsement would hurt Romney, another wealthy businessman whose opponents have criticized as outof touch.
“I really think he does connect, and he’s starting to connect really well,” Trump said.