It now appears that The Donald will be endorsing Mitt Romney, not Newt Gingrich. Politico has seamlessly (and shamelessly) updated its earlier post to reflect the latest tidings, including this poorly-written and almost unbelievable sentence:

But by this morning, other sources said that Trump’s endorsement may actually go to Mitt Romney, who Trump has been lobbied heavily to endorse for the last few weeks.

Just think: the person who wrote that gets paid to write for a living. But leaving aside the kwazy konstruction of that sentence, let’s look at the message. People have been heavily lobbying Donald Trump for weeks? To land his endorsement???

WHY?????????????

Donald Trump is a walking, talking caricature. He has no influence on the political process, aside from his talent for attracting cameras. From CNN:

Sixty-four percent of definite and likely GOP voters in a Pew survey last month said an endorsement from the reality television star would make no difference to them. Thirteen percent said it would make them more likely to back a candidate, while 20% said it would actually make them less likely.

So, a net negative — even among likely Republican voters! Sheesh.

And beyond that, a Trump endorsement of Romney is a walking, talking validation of Romney’s budding reputation as a rich guy who doesn’t get it. What do these two people have in common? They both like to fire people.

If Romney or his advisers have any sense, they’ll keep him far, far away from the Trump event. Which, dollars to donuts, will be held at some overblown Trump property decorated in late Saddam style — pointlessly expensive and tasteless.

Of course, Mitt put in a personal appearance to collect the endorsement of Dan F’n Quayle, so he’ll probably swallow what’s left of his pride, paste on that fake smirk of his, carefully stand upwind of Donald’s hair, and bask in the reflected glory of America’s Favorite Fake Billionaire Clown.

Update, 1:55 pm February 2: Yep, expect the worst of Mitt and he’ll deliver. Per Talking Points Memo:

Mitt just can’t resist. Tone-deaf, absolutely tone-deaf. Here’s hoping Trump says something stupid for the Dems’ attack ads. Not that they need any more material. And please, somebody start asking Mitt what he thinks of Donald’s persistent Birtherism. He wants the endorsement, he should have to answer for it.