Despite the fact that Romney has publicly bashed Trump countless times, Romney now says that he will support Trump’s policies that are “in the best interests of the country and my state.” But, he will make sure to call Trump out for his “significant statements or actions that are divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions.” The Romney that has said that he would be willing to support Trump, is most certainly not the Romney that we know from the past. So let’s revisit some of the harsher things that he’s said about Trump.
While speaking to the attendees at his “Experts and Enthusiasts Summit” in Utah, in 2018, Romney made it clear that he had no intentions of ever serving on the Trump Administration. According to CNN, Mitney stated, “Had there been a President Bush or a President [Marco] Rubio or a President [Scott] Walker, I might’ve been happy to be a part of their administration.”
When Mitt Romney gave his infamous #NeverTrump speech at the University of Utah in 2016, he had plenty to say about how much he disliked Donald Trump. He spoke to the crowd, “Let me put it plainly, if we Republicans choose Donald Trump as our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished … He inherited his business, he didn’t create it … A business genius he is not.”
Don’t for a second think that Romney stopped there. He continued his hate speech by saying: “Dishonesty is Donald Trump’s hallmark … His is not the temperament of a stable, thoughtful leader. His imagination must not be married to real power.”
And just when you thought he was finished, Romney continued his drawn out, Trump-bashing speech by concluding with: “Here’s what I know. Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He’s playing the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat.”
Do you remember when Romney attempted to recruit a third party challenger to go up against Trump during the 2016 presidential election? When Romney was asked if he was planning on running as an independent against Trump, he replied with: “No, I’m certainly going to be hoping that we find someone who I have my confidence in who becomes a nominee. I don’t intend on supporting either of the major-party candidates at this point.”
Romney may not have wanted to vote for Clinton or Trump, but he didn’t necessarily rule out voting for a Libertarian Party candidate, like Gary Johnson or Bill Weld. In fact, according to CNN, Romney claimed that “…it would be very easy for me to vote for Bill Weld for president.”
In May of 2016, Romney attempted to explain why he held so much dislike for Donald Trump. “I wanted my grandkids to see that I simply couldn’t ignore what Mr. Trump was saying and doing, which revealed a character and temperament unfit for the leader of the free world … others, including myself, believe our first priority should be to stand by our principles and if those are in conflict with the nominee, the principles come first … When the grandkids ask ‘What did you do to stop Donald Trump?’ What are you going to say?”
Two days before Trump won the election, Romney maintained that he had absolutely no intentions of voting for Trump. Instead, he vowed to write in the name of a different Republican because he wouldn’t give his vote to Clinton, either. “I’ll either vote for a conservative who runs or I’ll write in the name of a conservative… I cannot in good conscience vote for a person who has been as degrading, disruptive and unhinged as I’ve seen Donald Trump be,” said Romney to Fox Business host Neil Cavuto.
Back in 2016, Wolf Blitzer asked Mitt Romney what Trump would have to do in order to win his support. Romney replied: “I don’t think there’s anything I’m looking for from Mr. Trump to give him my support. He’s demonstrated who he is and I’ve decided that a person of that nature should not be the one who, um, if you will, becomes the example for coming generations or the example of America to the world.” Do you remember when Mitt Romney posted on social media in March of 2016?
On more than one occasion, Romney has turned to social media platforms to post his disdain for Trump. He wrote on his official Facebook page on March 18, 2016: “This week, in the Utah nominating caucus, I will vote for Senator Ted Cruz. Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism. Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these. The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump is to have an open convention. At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible. I like Governor John Kasich. I have campaigned with him. He has a solid record as governor. I would have voted for him in Ohio. But a vote for Governor Kasich in future contests makes it extremely likely that Trumpism would prevail. I will vote for Senator Cruz and I encourage others to do so as well, so that we can have an open convention and nominate a Republican.”
Romney has never hidden the fact that he thinks President Trump has quite a few undesirable traits. He said this about Trump in 2016: “Think of Donald Trump’s personal qualities, the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics. We have long referred to him as “The Donald.” He is the only person in America to whom we have added an article before his name. It wasn’t because he had attributes we admired … a Trump nomination enables [Hillary Clinton’s] victory.”
In a discussion about Trump’s domestic policies, Romney commented: “His domestic policies would lead to a recession. His foreign policies would make America and the world less safe. He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president. And his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be a shining city on a hill.”
Romney wrote an op-ed about Trump for The Washington Post ripping Trump: “A president should demonstrate the essential qualities of honesty and integrity, and elevate the national discourse with comity and mutual respect. As a nation, we have been blessed with presidents who have called on the greatness of the American spirit. With the nation so divided, resentful and angry, presidential leadership in qualities of character is indispensable. And it is in this province where the incumbent’s shortfall has been most glaring.”
Romney made a speech in Salt Lake City on March 3, 2016 about Trump’s candidacy: “What he said on “60 Minutes” about Syria and ISIS has to go down as the most ridiculous and dangerous idea of the campaign season: Let ISIS take out Assad, he said, and then we can pick up the remnants. Think about that: Let the most dangerous terror organization the world has ever known take over a country? This is recklessness in the extreme.” Romney continued: “Donald Trump tells us that he is very, very smart. I’m afraid that when it comes to foreign policy, he is very, very not smart.”
Now that Trump has been in the White House for a couple of years, what does Romney think about his presidency? Well, Romney thinks that Trump’s “conduct over the past two years, particularly his actions last month, is evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office.” Do you suppose that means that Romney didn’t send Trump a Christmas card?
