(CNN) — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he’s open to the idea of appearing on NBC’s “The Apprentice,” adding it would be good for Republicans to engage in “shows like that.”
“Oh sure,” he said, when asked about the idea. “Why not?”
“I’ve known the Donald, we’ve done fundraisers together,” Gingrich told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham. “I think Republicans would be so much better off to relax and go on shows like that and be interesting.”
If Gingrich were to join as a cast member, he might have to wait until 2014. This year’s season–the 13th of the series–kicked off Sunday with a Celebrity All-Star theme, featuring past celebrity guests such as Trace Adkins, Stephen Baldwin, Dennis Rodman and Gary Busey.
CNN reached out to a spokesman for Trump for a comment, but the request was not immediately returned.
In the interview Wednesday, Gingrich praised Trump for his ability to draw publicity.
“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,” he said, adding that the media mogul has done a “remarkable job at branding.”
The former presidential candidate has paired up with Trump in the past. When Gingrich was seeking the real estate titan’s endorsement for the Republican nomination, Gingrich and Trump met in December 2011 to brainstorm an apprenticeship program for inner-city youth.
“I’ve asked him to take one of the poorest schools in New York and basically offer at least 10 apprenticeships to kids from that school to get them into the world of work and get them into an opportunity to earn money and get them into the habit of showing up and realizing that effort gets rewarded and that America is all about the work ethic,” Gingrich told reporters when the duo publicized the effort.
Trump said he thought “it was a great idea.”
“We call it an apprenticeship, and we all know about ‘The Apprentice,’ so we’re going to be doing, we’re going to be picking 10 young wonderful children and we’re going to make them apprenti,” he told reporters. “We’re going to have a little fun with it.”
Both Gingrich and Trump will also speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference next week in the Washington, D.C. area.
CNN’s Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
