kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and KilleenSources: Trump To Endorse Romney

(CNN) -- Celebrity business magnate Donald Trump will endorse Mitt Romney for president Thursday, sources with knowledge of the endorsement told CNN.

Trump, who has repeatedly flirted with the possibility of his own White House bid, will make the announcement in Las Vegas two days before the Nevada caucuses.

It's unclear whether Trump's decision will have any impact on the Republican race. 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.

News of Trump's endorsement of the Republican front-runner came as the GOP candidates stumped for votes across Nevada and Romney continued to wrestle with fallout from a CNN interview in which the former Massachusetts governor said he wasn't "concerned about the very poor."

"We have a safety net " for the very poor, Romney told CNN's Soledad O'Brien Wednesday. "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%, 95% of Americans right now who are struggling, and I'll continue to take that message across the nation."

Pressed by O'Brien, Romney noted that the poorest Americans have access to food stamps, Medicaid and housing vouchers.

"You can choose where to focus," he said. "You can focus on the rich; that's not my focus. You can focus on the very poor; that's not my focus. My focus is on middle-income Americans."

Romney later insisted his words were taken out of context and reiterated the full context of the quote, which was meant to stress his focus on the middle class.

"You've got to take the whole sentence, (or else) it sounds very different," he said. "We have a safety net for the poor. ... If there are people that are falling through the cracks, I want to fix that."

The comment, however, sparked a new round of debate over an emerging narrative of Romney as a plutocrat unaware of the needs and concerns of ordinary Americans. It also evoked memories of previous controversial Romney statements, such as when he said he likes firing people who provide poor service.

Romney is "reinforcing the image of the national party that is elite (and) out of touch," said Mark McKinnon, a former campaign advisor to George W. Bush and John McCain. "That's why he's having such problems with independent voters. ... Unless the Republicans turn that around, they cannot win this election."

Gingrich blasted Romney over the remark Wednesday, declaring that he is "fed up with politicians in either party dividing Americans against each other."

"My goal is to find steps for every American to have a job, every American to work, every American to be able to buy a house," the former speaker said.

Regardless of the extent of Romney's verbal miscue, the former governor is now the clear Republican front-runner. Romney cemented his status as the GOP leader with an overwhelming victory in Tuesday's Florida primary. Romney won the primary with 46% support of the vote, compared with 32% for Gingrich, 13% for Rick Santorum and 7% for Ron Paul, according to the Florida Department of State.

The victory gave Romney all 50 of Florida's convention delegates and, more important, new momentum heading into a series of caucuses and primaries building up to Super Tuesday on March 6, when 10 states will hold nominating contests.

A national poll released Wednesday showed an immediate benefit for Romney, putting him in first place at 31% compared to 26% for Gingrich, 16% for Santorum and 11% for Paul.

The Gallup daily tracking poll previously had Gingrich ahead of Romney after the former speaker won the January 21 South Carolina primary.