Mitt Romney’S Deal With The Devil

politics.salon.com — Initial reports indicated that Donald Trump would be endorsing Newt Gingrich in Las Vegas this afternoon, but most major outlets are now saying that the celebrity millionaire will instead throw his support behind Mitt Romney. As I wrote earlier, Gingrich may be a better match for Trump when it comes to expressing seething contempt for President Obama, but Trump’s public image depends on the appearance of clout, influence and general importance. This makes a Romney endorsement far more sensible; since Romney is far more likely than Gingrich to win the nomination (and in Nevada, where Trump is due to make his announcement), Trump will position himself to claim credit for pushing him over the top. But is a Trump endorsement a good thing for Romney? That’s a more complicated matter, and it gets to the basic tension between Romney’s primary and general election imperatives.

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