Palin, Trump meet in Manhattan

Sarah Palin has made a brief visit to billionaire reality TV star Donald Trump, stopping by his Trump Tower condominium in Manhattan Tuesday before heading to dinner.

The 2008 GOP vice-presidential nominee stepped out of a black SUV to a crush of cameras. She greeted a few tourists and joked to reporters that she would urge Trump to stop contributing to Democrats.

Trump announced recently that he would not seek the Republican nomination to challenge President Barack Obama.

Palin and her family are on a secretive bus tour of East Coast sites this week, with media shadowing, as she considers running for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

Her meeting with Trump did nothing to tamp down the frenzy and frothiness. After the Trump Tower visit, Palin said she and Trump shared similar ideas for improving the U.S. economy. Trump demurred when asked if he would support a Palin presidential candidacy.

"She didn't ask me for that. She came up as friends," he said. "She's a great woman, a terrific woman and a terrific friend. I'd love her to run."

Afterward, Trump and his wife, Melania, rode in a stretch limousine with Palin, her parents and youngest daughter, Piper, to have dinner at a pizzeria in Times Square.

Wednesday, Palin will visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.