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"Here we go with Mitt Romney," Trump tweeted on Wednesday. "Would much prefer that Mitt focus on Border Security and so many other things where he can be helpful. I won big, and he didn't. He should be happy for all Republicans. Be a TEAM player & WIN!"
In a floridly written op-ed published Tuesday, Romney praised Trump's boilerplate republican policies: tax cuts, regulatory rollbacks, and appointment of conservative judges. With that out of the way, the Utah Republican went on to bash Trump's abrasive personality, declaring that "the president has not risen to the mantle of the office."
"A president should unite us and inspire us to follow 'our better angels,'" the failed 2012 candidate continued. "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."
Comment: Quality of character? In a president? What, like the president that drops more bombs on civilians than any other world leader, ever? (Obama)
Or the president that started two illegal foreign invasions of a sovereign state that caused the deaths of over a million innocent civilians? (Dubya)
Romney lives in an alternative reality where the US president is a good person. The facts show that lack of character and a willingness to destroy entire countries are qualities that a US president should have, so what Romney is crowing about makes no sense. Stop virtue signaling Romney, it doesn't look good.
Romney, who joins the Senate on Thursday, vowed to oppose any of Trump's actions that he deems "divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions" - a raft of buzzwords that could have come from the mouth of any given Democrat.
Comment: Looking to behave like Dems do doesn't seem to be a smart strategy. Romney may want to look closely at what happened in 2016, when the Dems were wiped from the floor by Trump. Trying to be more like the virtue signaling Left and ignoring what the Republican voting base wants in a candidate is a pretty dump move by Romney. Let him run for president in 2020 with that kind of talk. He'll learn pretty quick that the average American is not interested in leftist politics.
Indeed, the article was well received by liberals on Twitter, and fuelled speculation that Romney is preparing to mount a challenge to Trump from within the GOP in 2020. However, the one-time presidential contender has not yet hinted at such a move.
Anti-Trump op-eds are hardly a rare sight on the pages of the Washington Post, and Romney himself has spoken out against Trump before. However, the pair have had an on-off relationship for several years, and Romney has swung between criticism and sycophancy for the president in that time.
Back in 2012, Romney graciously accepted Trump's endorsement for his presidential campaign, praising the then-magnate and TV celebrity for his "extraordinary ability to understand how our economy works and to create jobs." Four years later, the favor wasn't returned, with Romney calling candidate Trump "a phony" who was "playing members of the American public for suckers."
Romney changed his tune after Trump's surprise win, calling the president to congratulate him and meeting with him to discuss a potential job as secretary of state, a position that eventually went to Rex Tillerson instead. With relations warmer, Trump gave Romney's bid for the Senate his "full support and endorsement" last year.
Comment: Now Romney has taken that endorsement and spit it back in Trump's face. Not a smart move.
Now though, Romney seems to have reverted to his 2016 position on Trump. His op-ed was welcomed by anti-Trump figures from both parties, but blasted by Trump supporters. Brad Parscale, Trump's 2020 campaign manager, accused Romney of "jealousy" and said that he "lacked the ability to save this nation," while Trump "has saved it."
Even Ronna McDaniel, Republican National Committee chairwoman and Romney's niece, took the president's side. "POTUS is attacked and obstructed by the MSM media and Democrats 24/7," McDaniel tweeted on Wednesday. "For an incoming Republican freshman senator to attack @realDonaldTrump as their first act feeds into what the Democrats and media want and is disappointing and unproductive."
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