Mitt Romney Squirms When Asked Why He Sought Donald Trump's Endorsement in 2012
[There was a video here]
On Thursday, Mitt Romney (unfortunately) made a speech condemning Donald Trump as a bully and a fraud. But as NBC’s Chuck Todd pointed out on Sunday, when accepting the real estate developer’s endorsement in 2012 Romney spoke glowingly of Trump’s character and business acumen.
In Thursday’s remarks, Romney enumerates Trump’s failed businesses—all of which had failed long before the failed candidate sought Trump’s endorsement. But in 2012, Romney said, “Donald Trump has shown an extraordinary ability to understand how our economy works, to create jobs for the American people. I spent my life in the private sector, not quite as successful as this guy, but successful nonetheless.”
On Sunday, Romney said: “He tries to sell himself in this campaign as nothing but successful. He’s not a loser. You know what? He’s lost time and time again. And he’s crushed a lot of people in the process.”
Chuck Todd also pointed out to Romney that Trump was also already actively agitating the paranoid nativists who are supporting him now. Indeed, aformer Romney staffer recently claimed that Trump had suggested that the campaign embrace the theory that President Barack Obama may not be a citizen of the United States “because rightwing crazies will believe it.”
“You were pretty critical of the vulgar language that he uses, the insulting of Muslims. But, you know, he was pretty insulting of Muslims four years ago. He was the face of the birther movement, which has been totally discredited,” Todd said. Romney doesn’t have an answer.
For his part, Trump rated the show “mostly false.”
.@meetthepress and @chucktodd did a 1 hour hit job on me today – totally biased and mostly false. Dishonest media!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 6, 2016
