Washington, DC – President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday reacted in his usual style on his favorite platform Twitter, as Mitt Romney, the former Republican US presidential candidate, launched a scathing attack against him.
Earlier, just a couple of days before his swearing-in as the Senator for Utah, Romney, attacked Trump policies, saying he has caused dismay around the world. Using the Washington Post platform, Romney wrote that Trump had not “risen to the mantle” of the presidency.
Trump in response tweeted: “Here we go with Mitt Romney, but so fast! Question will be, is he a Flake? I hope not. 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!”
There has been a kind of fierce railing against each other between them over the months and years. Romney, although very critical of Trump before, managed to win his backing for his run in Utah. Trump had previously attacked Romney as a “failed candidate” and his manager for the 2020 presidential campaign accused him of jealousy.
Romney had a mix bag of roses and thorns for Trump as he praised some Trump policies while blasting other moves of the president. Nodding to his tax reforms and appointment of conservative judges, he noted those as what “mainstream Republicans have promoted for years.”
On the other hand, Romney took Trump to task on a global scale saying, ”The world is also watching,” adding, “Trump’s words and actions have caused dismay around the world.”
“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 wrote.
Agreeing to support the president in policies he thought were in the best interests of Utah or the US, Romney cautioned that he would rail against actions “that are divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions.”
From the tone and choice of words, it seems like either Romney is positioning himself as a strong senator, ready to even take on the White House when needed or planning a primary challenge to the incumbent president in 2020.
Whatever Romney’s strategic aim is, Trump faces a new challenge on the Hill as even though November’s mid-terms strengthened Republican hold of the Senate, Democrats won the House of Representatives convincingly.