According to a forthcoming book, Sen. Mitt Romney wears a hat in public to keep from being recognized by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns write in their forthcoming book “This Will Not Pass” that Romney uses the disguise when dining out with his wife Ann in Palm Beach to avoid harassment by supporters of the former president.
Romney’s wife, Ann, told the authors Trump’s grip on the party and the hatred toward Mitt from his supporters gave her severe doubts about whether any of their five sons could ever run for elected office as Republicans.
Romney has received hostile treatment from Republicans who are still loyal to the former president. He was accosted at the Salt Lake City airport by a Trump supporter as he traveled to Washington the day before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Passengers on the plane mocked him with chants of “traitor,” and Utah Republicans booed him mercilessly when he spoke at last year’s state convention.
Romney was the only Republican to vote to remove Trump from office in his first impeachment trial that resulted from his attempts to force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to announce an investigation into Hunter Biden’s business in the country. Romney also voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment after a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Some Utah Republicans have repeatedly tried to censure Romney for those two votes.
According to an advance copy of the book, Romney was furious after being evacuated from the Senate Chamber and blamed Trump for the attack, which he called a national embarrassment.
“This is what the president has caused today, instigating this — this insurrection,” Romney said. “It’s what this says to the country and the world.”
Dramatic video from the attack showed Romney narrowly avoiding coming face to face with a mob of Trump supporters who had breached the Capitol after U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman told him to go the other way.
Romney also phoned Utah Gov. Spencer Cox that day, asking him to send state troopers to his home outside of Salt Lake City to make sure his wife was safe.
“There were some reports that there were protesters heading to the Romney home — their personal home. I immediately got the highway patrol there, and we got the family out of there,” Cox said.
The families of the rest of Utah’s congressional delegation also received temporary protection from the Utah Highway Patrol during the violence at the Capitol.
The Washington Post reported Romney told Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, “You caused this,” as they were taken to a secure location. He also shouted, “this is what you’ve gotten,” to Trump’s allies, who pushed the false narrative that he lost the 2020 election due to massive fraud.
