Newt Gingrich: Republican establishment "better begin thinking about Trump as the future"

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, once perceived as a Republican establishment candidate for president, just endorsed Donald Trump.

Now, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, once also a big part of the GOP establishment, says it's time for the Republican establishment to seriously consider "Trump as the future."

For so long in the presidential race, it seemed like an actual establishment candidate — Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, now Marco Rubio — would rise out of the ashes and finally put Trump down. Or at least, that was the establishment's dream.

But that hasn't happened — Trump has won three of four primary elections, and looks positioned to win many more in March.

So it seems like at least some members of the establishment may be starting to come around to Trump. Gingrich's tweet may signal a shift.

Watch: Donald Trump's rise is a scary moment in America