CNN
By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN
(CNN) — Sen. Mitt Romney, a frequent Donald Trump critic who will quickly retire from Congress, stood by his criticism of the president-elect’s character however stated Trump and his MAGA motion now outline the Republican Social gathering.
“I’m, as you know, not a supporter of President Trump’s. I didn’t support him in this election. I didn’t the last time he ran either, largely for matters of character,” the Utah Republican, who was the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, informed CNN’s Jake Tapper in a wide-ranging interview on “State of the Union” on Sunday.
However Romney acknowledged Trump’s grip on the get together he as soon as led.
“MAGA is the Republican Party and Donald Trump is the Republican Party today,” he stated.
Requested about his sustained criticism of Trump, which dates to the president-elect’s first White Home run in 2016, Romney described himself as “kinda outspoken” and stated he felt that Trump “was wrong for the country, wrong for our party, that he wouldn’t win,” however he famous, “I was wrong about that.”
“I think most people disagree with me. I’m willing to live with that. I just put emphasis on different things than I think the public at large does right now,” he stated.
However Romney argued the incoming president deserves a “chance” to do what he has promised upon his return to the White Home.
“I agree with him on a lot of policy fronts. I disagree with him on some things,” Romney stated of Trump. “But it’s like, OK, give him a chance to do what he said he’s gonna do and see how it works out.”
Requested about the truth that Trump has made some unorthodox Cupboard picks, Romney known as it “an unusual collection of individuals, not the people that I would have chosen,” however stated Trump is “entitled” to make his picks as a result of he gained the election.
However, Romney stated, “the Senate has a responsibility to make sure that these people are legitimate, that there’s no skeleton that could be an embarrassment to them or the country” and that nominees are certified for the place.
Elected to the Senate in 2018, Romney has develop into generally known as a particular voice within the chamber who was prepared to tackle his personal get together. Throughout Trump’s first impeachment trial, Romney was the one Senate Republican to search out him responsible of abuse of energy. In 2021, he was considered one of seven Senate Republicans who crossed get together strains to search out Trump responsible of inciting the January 6 rebellion on the Capitol.
Requested what he thinks the legacy of the January 6 assault will probably be, Romney stated he thinks that will probably be seen as “a very dark day in American history” and that “it’s unfortunate that there are some in the MAGA world that try and paper over it, but I don’t think it’s possible to do.”
However Romney additionally stated he thinks American establishments will maintain up within the years to come back “because I think people, when faced with the reality of what’s at stake, they’re going to want to protect the roots of freedom.”
Trump and his allies have advised that, in his second time period, he might unleash the Justice Division on his political enemies.
Requested whether or not he’s frightened that he or his household might develop into targets for political retribution by Trump, Romney stated, “No, actually, I’ve been pretty clean throughout my life. I’m not particularly worried about criminal investigations.”
“I don’t know how much, by the way, of what the president says is hyperbole,” he stated, including, “I think President Trump is likely to try and focus on the future.”
The Utah Republican additionally had phrases of reward for Vice President-elect JD Vance, calling the Ohio senator “smart” and predicting that he would be the GOP nominee in 2028.
“If you were to ask me who the nominee will be in 2028, I think it will be JD Vance, all right? He’s smart, well-spoken, part of the MAGA movement,” Romney stated, downplaying previous criticism of Vance as feedback from “long ago,” and saying, “I’m not going to rehash history, and we’ve worked together in the Senate together since then.”
Reflecting on the outcomes of the latest presidential election, Romney stated Trump deserves “credit” for bringing working-class voters over to the GOP from Democrats.
“Look, the Republican Party has become the party of the working-class, middle-class voter, and you’ve got to give Donald Trump credit for having done that, taking that away from the Democrats,” he stated.
Romney stated that after some voters crossed over to the GOP from the Democratic Social gathering, “there’ll be some reorientation that’s going to be necessary in my party,” however that the Democratic Social gathering “is the one in trouble.”
He additionally mirrored on his lengthy political profession on the nationwide stage, together with his unsuccessful run in opposition to Barack Obama within the 2012 presidential election, and the way he went from being a spotlight of high-profile assaults by Democrats throughout his presidential bid to being praised by Democrats throughout his time within the Senate for his willingness to interrupt with Trump.
“As I look back at campaigns and think about the angst that surrounded any mistake that I or a campaign member made, some small thing, these things were blown into huge proportion,” he stated. “It’s kind of amusing to see the kind of things that, looking back, look quaint.”
Romney stated Obama was “in some respects smart to go after me and say, ‘Here’s a rich business guy, we’re going to characterize him as a plutocrat that doesn’t care about people.’ He went with that narrative, put it out there before I could really effectively respond and was successful in doing so.”
Romney shrugged off a query about how he would need historical past to recollect him, downplaying his legacy as “a footnote for somebody who’s reading ancient history,” however saying that he would need his household to recollect him.
“I want my family to remember me as someone who stood up for the things I believed, was not embarrassed by my fundamental beliefs, who loved the country and did what I believe was right to help preserve the greatest nation on Earth,” he stated.
CNN’s Clare Foran and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.
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