Real estate mogul Donald Trump called into Fox News on Monday morning and matter-of-factly took credit for propelling Romney to a nearly 30-point victory in the Nevada caucuses over the weekend.
"There was a lot riding on that particular race in Nevada and it was interesting, because the numbers were much, much greater than you thought," Trump told "Fox and Friends." "And a lot of people are giving me credit for that. And I will accept that credit. Always accept credit."
(Video below via Mediaite. Comments after the 4-minute mark)
Polling in the week before voting in Nevada predicted a Romney landslide, though by a few points less than the eventual margin of victory. While Trump appears confident that his endorsement dramatics were a boost to the Romney campaign, according to a Politico/Facebook survey taken in the wake of the spectacle, 41 percent of Nevadans said Trump's endorsement gave them a more negative view of Romney.
Trump endorsed Romney last week after media reports had first suggested he would throw his support behind Newt Gingrich.
Asked this weekend to discuss the confusion, Gingrich gave a blunt assessment.
"We all thought that was kind of weird," the former House Speaker said from a post-caucus press conference at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. "There are few people better at manipulating the press than Donald Trump and he proved it once again. You have to admire the sheer chutzpah."