LAS VEGAS, Feb. 2 - (SALT TV) Real estate mogul and reality game show host Donald Trump has endorsed Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney for president.

"Mitt is tough, he's smart, he's sharp, he's not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country that we all love," Trump said.

Trump, himself, an on-again-off-again presidential candidate, was thought to be backing Romney's rival Newt Gingrich, something the Gingrich campaign mistakenly verified to reporters Wednesday night.

Trump's endorsement of Romney was a surprise to many, as the billionaire business tycoon repeatedly criticized Romney in the early days of the campaign. He said the criticism was a result of not really knowing the former Massachusetts governor, something that's changed in the last few months. 

Trump's big thumbs-up comes one day after Romney stumbled on national TV, saying he was not concerned with America's poor.   

"I'm in this race because I care about Americans," he said during a CNN. "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans right now who are struggling and I'll continue to take that message across the nation."

Gingrich shrugged off Trump's endorsement of Romney, shifting his attention Romney's gaffe on CNN. "I am fed up with politicians of either party dividing Americans against each other," Gingrich said. "I am running to be the president of all the American people, and I am concerned about all the American people."

© 2012 Salt TV Network LLC. All rights reserved.