Trump drops Republican Party registration in NY

NEW YORK (AP) — Billionaire businessman Donald Trump has changed his voter registration in New York state from Republican to unaffiliated.

A spokesman for Trump says the businessman and television host changed his affiliation to preserve his option to seek the presidency in 2012.

Special Counsel Michael Cohen said Friday that Trump could enter the race if Republicans fail to nominate a candidate who can defeat President Barack Obama.

He said Trump probably would use his substantial wealth to even the playing field with Obama's re-election campaign.

Cohen said Trump's commitment to hosting TV's "The Apprentice" will keep him from doing anything until May, when the show's season wraps up.

He said Trump filed his voter registration paperwork Thursday.

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Newt Gingrich accepts Donald Trump debate invitation, Ron Paul declines

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced Saturday he has accepted an invitation to attend a presidential debate moderated by celebrity real estate investor Donald Trump.

"Newt has accepted the invitation from Newsmax for a December 27 debate in Iowa," the campaign's official Twitter account read.

Gingrich is the first candidate to accept the invitation to the debate, which is being sponsored by Newsmax, a conservative news outlet. While most of the other campaigns have not yet weighed in on their attendance, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and Texas Rep. Ron Paul already rejected theirs.

A Huntsman spokesman said he looks "forward to watching Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich suck up to Trump with a big bowl of popcorn" and Paul's spokesman Jesse Benton said the event was "beneath the office of the Presidency."

"Mr. Trump's selection is also wildly inappropriate because of his record of toying with the serious decision of whether to compete for our nation's highest office, a decision he appeared to make frivolously," Benton said in a statement.

The debate will be held on Dec. 27th in Des Moines, Iowa.

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