Mitt Romney Rabidly Against Trump – “I Don’t Want To See Trickle-Down Racism”

As Donald J. Trump pushes forward in the 2016 Presidential Election, it seems to be inevitable that his will be the name appearing on the Republican ballot. More and more prominent political figures are raising their voices against his plausible presidency. Mitt Romney, the Republican front-runner in 2008, has gone so far as to say that should Trump become the next President of the United States, racism and misogyny would become the norm and the very essence of American society will be altered.

This is by no means the first words that Romney has spoken against Donald Trump. In a conversation with Wolf Blitzer of CNN, he said that the probable Republican nominee would decimate the fabric of the United States’ spirit. When asked about Trump, he said:

“I don’t want to see trickle-down racism … I don’t want to see a president of the United States saying things which change the character of the generations of Americans that are following. Presidents have an impact on the nature of our nation, and trickle-down racism, trickle-down bigotry, trickle-down misogyny, all these things are extraordinarily dangerous to the heart and character of America.”

Though Trump has avoided directly commenting on Mitt Romney’s jabs, he made sure that his followers knew that he is “the least racist person, the least racist person that you’ve ever seen,” during a rally in Richmond, Virginia.

Romney isn’t just stopping at words. He spent the last few months seeking out a reputable challenger who could run as a third-party candidate against Trump before conceding that such a candidate did not exist. However, when third-party politician Gary Johnson announced his candidacy, Romney indicated that he was considering giving the Libertarian and his Vice President, Bill Weld, his vote.

“If Bill Weld were at the top of the ticket, it would be very easy for me to vote for Bill Weld for President … So I’ll get to know Gary Johnson better and see if he’s someone who I could end up voting for. That’s something which I’ll evaluate over the coming weeks and months.”

With all of Romney’s commentary on the impending election, many have asked whether he has considered running himself. The 2008 Republican candidate has declined to go through the campaigning process again. However, he remains insistent that the Republican Party needs to present a plausible candidate who could challenge Donald Trump. He said:

“I think you’re not going to find a credible candidate actually running as a third-party contender … The only way to win the White House, in my view, is to become a nominee of either the Republican or the Democratic Party, and simply running to be a spoiler would not give the American people I think the chance to express their own views about Mr. Trump or Secretary Clinton.”

Officials from Trump’s campaign team have stepped forward to denounce Romney’s criticisms. A spokeswoman, Katrina Pierson, called him a “sour grape” and said he is a man “who [has] had the power stripped out of [his] hands by a candidate that [he does] not like because he has managed to do something [he has] been unable to do for decades.”

Despite all of these criticisms, Mitt Romney has very specifically not spoken against the Republican men and women who do support the probable Republican nominee. For example, Romney’s vice-presidential running mate from the 2008 election, Paul Ryan, has endorsed Donald Trump but Romney has refused to comment on the decision. When asked about the topic, he said “I wish everybody in the Republican Party had rejected Mr. Trump and chosen someone else … But my choice is different  than that of the other people, and I’m certainly not going to argue with them about their choice.”

Mitt Romney, though he declined to run in this election, has had plenty to say about the candidate that his party has almost definitely chosen. It makes one wonder whether he would have been a contender to the Goliath that is Donald Trump. Romney’s opinion? “Had I been in the race, I can assure you, I would have taken him on.”

Featured Image via Flickr/Gage Skidmore