Romney's staff plays April Fool's prank on boss

MILWAUKEE -- Mitt Romney, who’s known for his fondness of playing practical jokes, on Sunday found himself the victim of an April Fool’s Day prank orchestrated by his staff -- with help from Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep. Paul Ryan .

Romney, who was scheduled to address a pancake brunch in Milwaukee, was warned by some of his advance staff that there had been a light turnout. The former Massachusetts governor waited behind a curtain -- as he usually does -- while Ryan began introducing him to a smattering of applause.

But when Ryan finally called out his name, Romney entered with Johnson to find the room -- which had been decked out to look like the site of an actual rally -- completely vacant, save for a few staffers who watched their boss' astonished reaction. The campaign later posted a video online.

“There’s nobody there!” Romney later recounted at the real pancake breakfast, where a crowd of several hundred gathered to hear him speak. He then quipped, “It’s like, oh boy, this is going to look really bad on the evening news, let me tell you.”

Hours after the gag, the candidate told reporters: " You know, I think they’re much funnier when I do them on other people than when they do them on me."