Donald Trump to make an endorsement announcement

GlobalPost

Reality TV show host and business magnate Donald Trump will endorse a GOP presidential bid today, just days before Republicans in Nevada head to the polls to choose who is best equipped to take on President Obama in November’s election.

However, who he is set to endorse has been fraught with confusion.  

A source close to Gingrich’s campaign told the AP that Trump will announce his support for the former House Speaker on Thursday in Las Vegas, where Gingrich is currently campaigning ahead of Saturday’s Nevada caucus. However, according to the Associated Press, someone on Gingrich's campaign staff may have gotten a little carried away when he leaked that information.  

The Guardian reported that Romney's campaign has confirmed he'll appear with Trump at around 3:15 p.m. today, at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.

Trump's office announced yesterday that a major announcement would be made without clarifying what that would be, CNN reported.

According to a Fox News poll conducted last September, 62 percent of registered Republican voters said that Trump's endorsement would make no difference to their vote. 

As USA Today points out, this is the lastest move by Trump to inject himself into the political debate. Trump had previously mentioned that he would run as an independent if the GOP picked the "wrong candidate." 

Both Gingrich and Romney's parties have been coy regarding the announcement, and Trump himself told CBS News/National Journal very early Thursday morning that “we’ll see tomorrow,” when asked whether he intended to make an endorsement.

Gingrich, speaking in Reno yesterday, said he had “no idea what Donald is going to do.”

“He is always interesting, and I don’t know of anybody who does a better job of getting attention by announcing that he will presently announce something.”

More from GlobalPost: Fred Thompson endorses Newt Gingrich

Mitt Romney currently enjoys a hefty lead in the polls in Nevada, and won the Republican presidential caucuses there four years ago.

The Gingrich campaign’s planning in the state has been in flux, suggesting that his primary focus has been on raising money rather than on winning votes, according to The New York Times.

Last month the wife of Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson contributed $5 million to a “super PAC” supporting Gingrich’s campaign, bringing the couple’s total contribution to date to $10 million.

Republican front-runner Romney beat off competition from Gingrich and other presidential aspirants Rick Santorum and Ron Paul on Tuesday to take the Florida primary. 

More from GlobalPost: Mitt Romney wins Florida primary

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