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SALT LAKE CITY — Two days before he is set to be sworn into office, Senator-elect Mitt Romney did not mince words in an op-ed for the Washington Post about President Donald Trump.
The op-ed, which was posted at 6 p.m. MST Tuesday, immediately delved into a scathing review of Trump's tumultuous December:
"The departures of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, the appointment of senior persons of lesser experience, the abandonment of allies who fight beside us, and the president’s thoughtless claim that America has long been a 'sucker' in world affairs all defined his presidency down."
Romney went on to state he never wanted Trump to become the Republican presidential nominee, and that when Trump was, Romney hoped that his campaign "would refrain from resentment and name-calling. It did not."
"When he won the election, I hoped he would rise to the occasion. His early appointments of Rex Tillerson, Jeff Sessions, Nikki Haley, Gary Cohn, H.R. McMaster, Kelly and Mattis were encouraging. But, on balance, his conduct over the past two years, particularly his actions this month, is evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office."
Not all of Trump's actions have been bad, Romney noted in the only positive paragraph of Trump in the article, including the passage of a tax overhaul just over a year ago, fighting back against "unfair" China trade practices and criminal justice reform.
Policies and appointments are only a part of a presidency. A president must also unite us, inspire us, and defend our vital institutions. https://t.co/jmIw8XbV4k
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) January 2, 2019
But Trump's rhetoric continues to divide an angry nation, Romney wrote, and "caused dismay around the world." The op-ed called on Trump to "repair failings in our politics at home" so America can once again be a leader in politics on the world stage.
Romney and Trump have long had a contentious relationship since Trump emerged as a frontrunner in the 2016 election and Romney said that Trump "is a phony, a fraud" who's "playing the members of the American public for suckers." Despite trading barbs, Trump endorsed Romney's Senate run earlier this year. Romney was also in the running for Trump's secretary of state before Tillerson was selected.
Romney's op-ed was quickly shared across Twitter and Facebook Thursday night. Trump had not yet responded, as of 8 p.m.
