Gingrich: I'd appear on Trump's 'Celebrity Apprentice'

Former House Speaker and Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that he would gladly appear on Donald Trump's reality show "Celebrity Apprentice."

"Oh sure," Gingrich told radio host Laura Ingraham. "I’ve known the Donald, we’ve done fundraisers together. Republicans would be so much better off [to be] relaxed and go on shows like that and be interesting."

Gingrich says he has known Trump — who also weighed a bid for the Republican nomination — for years. Both will be speaking next week at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

"Donald Trump is a phenomenon," Gingrich said, adding that he admired Trump's ability to garner media attention.

“Trump is a guy who is pretty careful about going out there and mixing it up, and he knows that some days he’s going to look foolish and some days he’s going to look brilliant — but overall, you’re going to remember his name. And he has done a remarkable job at branding as this slightly eccentric billionaire who represents kind of a libertarian, right-wing attitude.”

The former House Speaker admitted that an appearance on the show "would require a risk-taking attitude and a willingness to look a little foolish, which most Republicans are horrified at."

Gingrich's apparent willingness to appear on Trump's show seems to put to bed any lingering resentments from the presidential campaign, during which Gingrich and Mitt Romney fought for Trump's endorsement. At one point, aides to Gingrich's campaign hinted they had scored Trump's endorsement — only to have the real estate mogul hours later announce he was backing Romney.

Gingrich is no stranger to unorthodox television appearances. Earlier this year, he made a surprise cameo on an episode of NBC's "Parks and Recreation."

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