Romney Trumps Gingrich

Image: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

It’s Groundhog Day, so Donald Trump emerged from his Las Vegas hotel suite, admired his shadow, and endorsed Mitt Romney for president.

The Donald’s endorsement won’t save us from six more weeks of a bitter and often bizarre contest for the Republican presidential nomination. Newt Gingrich, who last night thought he was going to get Trump’s endorsement, will stick around at least through Super Tuesday, March 6, when he hopes primary victories in at least Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma will keep him in the race. A week later, Alabama and Mississippi hold primaries. In Dixieland, Newt will take his stand.

So why did Trump, the real estate magnate turned reality-TV star who toyed with running for president himself, endorse Romney?

“Mitt is tough, he’s sharp, he’s smart,” Trump said. “He’s not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country.”

In particular, Trump said, Romney will stand up to China and OPEC.

“They take advantage of us, they laugh at us,” Trump said. “They can’t believe what they’re getting away with.”

Romney appeared with Trump to thank him for his endorsement.

“Some things you can’t imagine happening in your life,” Romney said. “This is one of them.”

But Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who chairs the Democratic National Committee, said Trump and Romney are a perfect match.

“They both like firing people, and they've both made millions doing it," Wasserman Schultz said on MSNBC.