Rick Santorum stopped short formally endorsing former GOP presidential rival Mitt Romney on Tuesday, saying instead that he will support the eventual nominee, who he predicted will be Romney.
While interviewing Santorum on his CNN show, Piers Morgan tweeted that Santorum had admitted during a commercial break he had endorsed Romney. Santorum refused to confirm Morgan's claim on the air.
"All I said was the obvious," Santorum said. "I will support the nominee of our party. ... If he's the nominee, I'm going to do anything I can to help him win."
Morgan, unsatisfied, pressed further.
"That's an endorsement, isn't it? Unless I'm mishearing things," Morgan said. "You just endorsed Mitt Romney."
While Santorum did describe Romney as "the person who is going to go up against Barack Obama," he still refused to fully give in to Morgan's questioning.
"If that's what you want to call it, you can call it whatever you want," Santorum said.
Santorum and Romney are scheduled to meet on May 4. According to Santorum spokesman John Brabender, the former senator from Pennsylvania hopes to discuss Romney's policy positions, and how Santorum will fit by continuing to promote his conservative platform. Santorum indicated during the interview with Morgan that he would also meet with Romney staff members on Wednesday.
Santorum, who appeared with his wife, Karen, on CNN, also looked back on his failed bid -- including what his wife said she thought was his biggest gaffe during the primary season.
She said that his characterization of Obama as a "snob" for wanting every child in America to go to college topped her list.
“I wish he hadn’t said that,” she said.