Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said the future of the Republican Party belongs to Donald Trump, and, while Romney still considers himself a member of the party, the ranks of “mainstream” Republicans have diminished to a trickle.
“I’m a narrow slice, if you will, of what we used to call the mainstream Republicans. The stream has gotten a little smaller. It’s more like the ‘main creek’ Republicans’ now,” Romney quipped.
“The creek is very small, and you have to look for it very carefully,” he said, speaking to reporters Friday as his political career — that went from governor of Massachusetts to presidential nominee to U.S. Senator — comes to an end. “At some point, it’s going to be under the sand, and you’ll have to dig a little for it.”
During the recent presidential campaign, Romney opposed a second Trump term, but also did not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris explaining that he wanted to have a hand in helping reshape a post-Trump GOP.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Mitt Romney speaks during his farewell press conference at Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in Salt Lake City on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.
Now, with Trump headed back to the White House and Romney off into the sunset, things look very different.
“The Republican Party really is shaped by Donald Trump now, and you’ll find the House and Senate members of the Republican Party pretty much follow what he puts out there,” Romney said.
Romney noted that he supported most of Trump’s policies during the president-elect’s first term in the White House, voting with the Republican more often than Utah’s senior senator, Mike Lee, who transformed from a Trump critic to an ardent loyalist.
“The areas I had difficulty with President Trump is the character issues,” he said, specifically citing Trump being found liable by a jury of sexual assault and his “relaxed relationship with the truth.” In the past, Romney has also criticized Trump’s rhetoric and has voted twice to impeach the Republican.
The outgoing senator said he isn’t concerned about Trump using his position to seek retribution.
“I think it would be a missed opportunity for him to promote his agenda in his first 100 days … if he spends time going after the past,” Romney said. “I think he’s savvy enough to say, ‘Hey, I want to get stuff done.’”
Trump said in an interview with “Meet The Press” on Sunday that he thinks members of the committee that investigated the Jan. 6 riot by his supporters at the Capitol should be put in jail. Romney was not on that committee but sided with members like former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and voted to impeach Trump after the riot.
Trump’s nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, has published an enemies list made up of people who have resisted Trump — although Romney’s is not among the dozens of names on the list in Patel’s book.
Whether the party continues to follow its current trajectory depends largely on the next four years, Romney said.
“If Donald Trump has a successful presidency — which he very well may, as measured by the American people — then J.D. Vance is very likely to be the next Republican nominee,” Romney said. “And he is a smart guy, well-spoken person, and will have a very powerful influence, as well.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Mitt Romney speaks during his farewell press conference at Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in Salt Lake City on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.
Romney, however, is no fan of Vance.
In the book “Romney: A Reckoning,” Romney told author McKay Coppins, “I don’t know that I can disrespect someone more than J. D. Vance.” The Utah senator was appalled that Vance had pivoted so easily from a Trump critic to then a MAGA loyalist when Vance wanted to run for U.S. Senate.
The Utah senator said he was proud that he was able to work with a bipartisan group of 10 senators to actually pass legislation in a divided Congress — including bills that funded infrastructure investment, helped to restore the Great Salt Lake, sought to protect marriage equality and protect religious freedom, regulate the sale of firearms, among others.
In his life after politics, Romney said he would like to find a cause he can focus his energy on, like former President Jimmy Carter did in creating Habitat For Humanity or former Vice President Al Gore did with climate change. But he hasn’t identified what it might be.
“But I don’t plan on being out there campaigning against this Republican or that Republican or this Democrat, and trying to get the microphone again,” he said. “My time on that political stage is over.”
