Donald Trump said he is a big fan of former Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin. | Getty 2016 Trump doesn't deny Palin will be his 'special guest' at rally 'I think everyone’s going to be very impressed. And nobody knows who it is, and that’s fine,' Trump says.

Donald Trump toyed with reporters Tuesday about a forthcoming "major announcement" and a "special guest" at his rally later in the afternoon, amid speculation that Sarah Palin could soon lend her support to his candidacy.



“We have a tremendous event planned in a little while. That’ll be our third stop. This is our first stop," Trump said in response to a reporter's question at a Winterset, Iowa, event at the John Wayne Birthplace Museum. Wayne's daughter, Aissa, previously endorsed him for the nomination. "And again, I just have to say I was such a fan of John Wayne, and the one meeting I had with him was just an amazing meeting, and it was toward the end of his life. He was just an incredible guy. He said some things to me that were just very special, and so this is a very great honor. That’ll be, that’ll be a very big event. I think you’ll be very impressed.”



Earlier in the afternoon, Trump will speak before the 10th annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Altoona – part of a packed day for Trump as he ramps up his schedule before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1.



Asked whether he is a big fan of the former governor of Alaska, Trump said he was, but declined to say whether she would be the person at his Ames event later this evening.



“That I won’t say," Trump said. I am a big fan of Sarah Palin, but I’m not saying who it is.”



“It’s a very big event planned, and I think everyone’s going to be very impressed. And nobody knows who it is, and that’s fine," he said. He added about the endorsement: "It could very well result in votes.”

Palin and Trump have expressed mutual admiration for each other in recent months. Their public association dates back to 2011, when the two ate pizza with a fork in Times Square during a stop on Palin's bus tour.


The latest speculation comes amid an intensified back-and-forth between Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who are locked in a tight race less than two weeks before the Iowa caucuses. On Monday, Trump argued in an interview that he would be better for evangelical Christians than Cruz, citing Ronald Reagan. Cruz shot back, referencing Trump's past support for Democratic candidates and traditionally Democratic positions.



"Ted has got a rough temperament. I don’t know–you can’t call people liars on the Senate floor when they’re your leader," Trump said in Winterset, in reference to Cruz's outburst against Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last July. "His temperament has been questioned a lot.”