Biden praised by Mitt man — Donald Trump

Donald Trump is raising money for Mitt Romney in New York next week, but he raised eyebrows Friday by praising Vice President Joe Biden’s debate performance.

In particular, “The Donald” told NBC’s “Today” that Biden restored Democratic spirits sagging from President Obama’s passive appearance in last week’s debate with Romney.

“He gave it some energy,” Trump said of Biden.  “I’ll tell you what — the President really got beaten by Mitt and they really needed a boost.  So I would say, you know, it wasn’t a victory but he did stabilize the ship.”

The real estate mogul did hasten to add that Rep. Paul Ryan is “a great guy” and “smart.”

After flirting with the run for President, embracing the “birther” issue — and enduring a memorable put-down from Obama at the White House Correspondents Dinner — Trump settled on a Romney endorsement earlier this year.  It took place at a Trump casino in Las Vegas, with Ann Romney appearing to stifle a laugh.

Trump will be a headliner at New York’s Waldorf Astoria next week as Romney mega-donors gather for a “retreat.”  He will be joined by ex-New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani, Romney finance director Spencer Swick, and SuperPAC “American Crossroads” co-founder Ed Gillespie.

The donors will be entertained by no-longer-funny Saturday Night Live alumnus Dennis Miller, now a right-wing talk show host.