Romney follows GOP pack to Trump HQ

Businessman Donald Trump (left) is photographed at the 2011 Walker Cup, at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Aberdeen, Scotland, September 9, 2011. Right: Republican presidential hopeful and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library September 7, 2011 in Simi Valley, Calif. / Matthew Lewis, Robyn Beck/Getty Images

Businessman Donald Trump (left) is photographed at the 2011 Walker Cup, at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Aberdeen, Scotland, September 9, 2011. Right: Republican presidential hopeful and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library September 7, 2011 in Simi Valley, Calif.

/ Robyn Beck/Getty Images,Matthew Lewis

NEW YORK - Mitt Romney will become the latest Republican presidential contender to pay court to Donald Trump when the celebrity businessman hosts the former Massachusetts governor at his Trump Towers headquarters on September 26.

The meeting was arranged several weeks ago, according to Trump Organization's Executive Vice President Michael Cohen, who said that Romney was one of the last candidates to reach out for a meeting with Trump. The two have never met, Cohen added.

This is in contrast to Romney's chief rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Cohen said that Perry has spoken five or six times, and had set up the recent meeting between the two about two months ago.

Perry and Trump huddled Wednesday at Trump Towers before heading out to dine at Jean-Georges, a swanky restaurant over looking Central Park.

Donald Trump and Rick Perry chow down in N.Y.C.

Michele Bachmann has also already met with Trump this campaign season, as have Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin. Huckabee flirted with running, but took himself out of the race. Palin is still weighing whether to make a run.

Earlier this week, the Trump Organization's Cohen told CBS News and National Journal that while Trump is reviewing his endorsement options in the presidential campaigns, "he's still not out of" the race himself. "After 'The Apprentice' is over in June," Cohen said (referring to the popular TV show in which Trump interviews job candidates), "if he's still not happy with the choices, we are all ready to launch a campaign for him as a third-party candidate, as an independent."

Trump also recently weighed in on a congressional race in New York, endorsing Republican Bob Turner in the late stages of his hotly contested election for House seat vacated by disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner. Trump made robocalls on Turner's behalf:

"This is Donald Trump, and I'm not calling to fire you, as we say on The Apprentice. I'm calling to fire you up!"

You can hear the robocalls by clicking here.

Turner won the heavily-Democratic Queens-Brooklyn district Tuesday by a margin of 54% to 46%, a result that many Republicans, including Romney, interpreted as a repudiation of President Obama?s policies on the economy and Israel.

[blindersoff]

What is a new season of the Apprentice coming up or something? Mitt Romney doesn't need this bankrupt loser's stamp of approval. Trump is a joke. We see how quickly the teabaggers jumped on and off that bandwagon. If the Republicans nominate Rick Perry, they will turn a maybe win into a guaranteed loss. Mitt Romney better run on his own credentials and stop chasing these teabagging nuts. They will never like him. His best hope is Independents who are up for grabs, and moderate (sane) republicans.

[smirk5]

Summer is almost over and Trump promised that his Private Investigators in Hawaii would have some really surprising information about Obama's place of birth for us all this summer. What is Trump waiting for? Could it be that this recently Republican favorite for the Presidency was playing the Teabaggers for suckers?

[blindersoff]

To quote "the stuff they are finding out there is unbelievable"! LOL.

[yougogirl60]

This is so funny.

[dcarter1977]

The most fascinating thing about today's 2012 race is the irony God plays in politics. It wasn't so long ago that my dad's best candidate George Romney was crushed by a westerner that distrusted Washington and Easterners in general. People still remember that the best presidential candidate lost to a Western guy that went on to become in history as the worst U.S. President ever. I'm sure those who voted against George Romney regretted it years later. This infamous man that beat Romney was no other than \"Richard\" Nixon.

Mitt Romney adored his father George and always wanted to grow up to be just like the man the nation respected and loved. Mitt may just get his prayers answered. This time around the main fault against his father was how George didn't come across bright enough for politics (George Romney was glad he didn't win because he was unwilling to submit his will to Washington insiders and would have done right with the people). George Romney wasn't given 4 Aces, but succeeded in life anyways. The gods were kind to George and blessed him with a son that was given 4 Aces. Mitt was given intelligence, economic smarts, education, a strong religious faith, and unswerving competitiveness (I know, 5 Aces, but do the gods ever play fair?). His son Mitt was blessed with 4 Aces and it seemed that George's prayers for his son were answered.

Today many political pundits are comparing Richard Perry to George Bush, because he grew up in Texas instead of California. The truth is Richard Perry is most like Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon was the definition of cronyism as he not only wanted to beat his political rivals but was willing to commit crimes of treason to destroy his rivals such as Watergate. Richard Nixon created the definition of flip-flopping as he first taught the concept of moving to the right as hard as possible in the primaries and then swing hard to the middle after.

This time around the gods have given us another do over (with another Richard and Romney) to see if we will learn from our past or fall victim to it. Romney is a smarter candidate than his father ever was (even if Mitt would be too humble to admit it), but with those brains comes a candidate willing to compromise because of a strong suspicion that he might not be always right). I hope for America, we make the right choice, but only the gods know what will happen.

[esq777]

It's pathetic to watch these GOP candidates falling over each other to suck up to the likes of Donald Trump. It really shows who they really care about -- super rich people. What else does Trump bring to the table, other than a pile of money. You don't see these guys sitting down with Joe Six Pack, but they will gladly use Joe Six Pack for his vote and then turn around and lower the tax rates for corporations and billionaires to zero so that they can make even more money at the expense of Joe Six Pack. The GOP is really brilliant in that way. They get middle class people to vote for them, and then they bury the middle class to enrich themselves.

[nirak2-2009]

You got it!!!!!

[nirak2-2009]

If I was a Republican, Romney more likely would get my vote, but not if he has to ask Trump the airhead for advice

[iamproteus]

Money! Money! Who's got the money?! Money is King and who has the money? Trump, of course! Republicans are so unbelievably transparent when it comes to money! If Trump weren't so filthy rich, the repubs wouldn't give him the time of day, let alone worship at his feet! I'd give anything to know what the so-called "republican candidates" are promising him in order to get his endorsement.

[retm-w]

The Donald want's to see who will give him more taxbreaks.

[mb99]

How low can they go? The GOP has been reduced to a laughable shell of it's once respectable self. Just how low can they go - as they continue to kowtow to the likes of Limbaugh, Beck, and Trump? Sad... so very sad.