New GOP rivalry? Romney barrels into D.C. blistering Trump
WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and incoming Utah senator, has quickly set himself apart from other Republicans in the new Congress with a blistering attack on President Donald Trump’s leadership and character, triggering what could become a new rivalry in the GOP ranks.
Romney put to rest expectations that he would take his time getting his footing in Washington. Instead, he penned an op-ed in The Washington Post, published two days before being sworn into office, that said 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.”
Trump replied by tweeting he hoped Romney wouldn’t follow in the footsteps of Sen. Jeff Flake, RAriz., who often criticized Trump and paid the price, opting to retire rather than risk defeat in a GOP primary.
“Would much prefer that Mitt focus on Border Security and so many other things where he can be helpful,” Trump tweeted. “I won big, and he didn’t. He should be happy for all Republicans. Be a TEAM player & WIN!”
By taking on Trump so early in his Senate career, Romney could be picking up where Flake and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., another retiring senator, left off.
Both Republicans were vocal GOP critics of Trump, and their retirements left some wondering whether any other Republicans would be willing to publicly criticize the president. Sen. Dick Durbin, DIll., noted that almost half the Senate Republicans are up for re-election in 2020 and some may feel the need to push back against Trump.
“They just saw what happened in 2018,” Durbin said, referring to Republicans losing the House majority in November. “I think, once they do polling back home, not all of them but many of them will find that independence is being rewarded.”
Romney has had his public run-ins with the president before and tried to prevent him from winning the GOP nomination in 2016. In one speech, he said there was plenty of evidence that Trump was “a con man, a fake.” In that same speech, he said, “Dishonesty is Donald Trump’s hallmark.”
But after the presidential election, Romney eased off the criticism and interviewed to become Trump’s secretary of state. Trump instead opted for former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who lasted about 14 months before Trump fired him.
During his Senate campaign, Romney insisted that he would agree with Trump on some issues and not be shy about disagreeing with him on others. He appears to have more room with GOP voters in Utah to take on the president. Most voters in the state — 64 percent — would like to see the senator confront the president, according to data from AP VoteCast, a survey of midterm voters.
Romney’s criticism comes during a particularly tumultuous time in the Trump presidency. The stock market tumbled in December and closed out the year with its worst showing in a decade. Trade disputes have slowed global growth. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned over differences concerning Trump’s policy in Syria. Disagreement over funding for a border wall led to a partial government shutdown.