Mitt Romney briefly overshadowed the ongoing drama surrounding the partial government shutdown on Wednesday when he attacked President Trump in an editorial published in the Washington Post, stoking speculation that the former Massachusetts governor might be positioning himself for a primary challenge in 2020. After being mercilessly mocked on twitter by President Trump, and criticized by his own niece (who also happens to be the chairwoman of the Republican Party), Mitt Romney appeared on CNN Wednesday night for an interview with Jake Tapper where he elaborated on his view of the president, his policies and his plans for Washington (and 2020).
As one might expect given Romney’s practiced pubic presentation and bone-dry, middle-of-the-road moderate conservatism, most of the interview was a snooze, with Romney repeatedly refusing to say anything even remotely confrontational about the president’s policies.
But that all changed when Tapper asked Romney about his decision to accept President Trump’s endorsement when he was running for Senate in Utah. After briefly equivocating about his decision to accept Trump’s endorsement and the implicit hypocrisy in his criticisms of Trump’s “character” (while supporting almost every one of the president’s major policy decisions except for withdrawing troops from Syria), Romney suggested that he might not endorse President Trump when he seeks his second term.
“He was endorsing me I wasn’t endorsing him..and I haven’t decided who I will be endorsing in 2020. I’m going to wait and see what the alternatives are.”
Does this mean Romney is planning a run, Tapper asked? No, Romney said. He’s already tried that. And it didn’t turn out so well for him. But Romney again hinted that another “establishment” Republican contender might emerge.
“You may have heard I ran before…I acknowledge that the president was successful and I was not. No, I am not running again, and we’ll see whether somebody else does.”
What are Romney’s views on the shutdown, and Trump’s demands for border-wall funding?
“With regards to the shutdown, I’ll be with Republicans on that front. There has to be some kind of deal done where the Democrats get something and Republicans get something. It has to be a win-win.”
“I would vote for the border wall. I’ve made that part of my platform for many years…I think we should have a wall on our southern border whether its a fence…we need to work on our e-verify system to punish people who hire illegal immigrants.”
Which brings us to another point about Romney’s criticisms of Trump. While Romney agrees with some of Trump’s rhetoric – he cited Trump’s remarks in the wake of the Charlottesville attack, Trump’s support for Roy Moore and Trump’s attacks on the media – Romney supports practically all of the president’s domestic policies.
So how does Romney think Trump can improve?
“It’s important for a president to demonstrate the qualities of forthrightness and honesty and integrity…while I agree with him on policy front…there are areas relating to character that I think he could do a better job on.”
Will Romney become the new Jeff Flake?
“I don’t intend to be a daily commentator to be someone who’s walking through the Senate and looking for the nearest camera…but if there’s a matter of great significance, I’ll speak out on that.”
What kind of candidate does America want?
“I know what my principles are and what is right for the country…people are angry and resentful and they want to see leaders who will unite us and can push through those things. there are so many things they want to see us do that these things get in the way.”
Were you surprised that your niece criticized you?
“She’s the chairwoman of the Republican Party. She has a responsibility…and I respect that. She’s loyal to the president and she’s doing what she thinks is best for him and for the party.”
Do you plan to oppose Trump’s policies?
“I will support those positions that I agree with and I will oppose things I disagree with. But I don’t think you would go to Washington to cut off your nose to spite your face. I’ll vote with my conscience and not with his. [In other words, no.]”
Why do you oppose Trump’s decision to pull US troops out of Syria?
“The reason that we’re involved in the world is to make the world safer and make us safer…having a stable world where we can conduct trade is good for us and for the world…we’re in Syria with a very small footprint to help our allies and to provide some stability so Turkey, or Russia or the Iranians don’t rush in and slaughter people…so pulling out on a haphazard basis without getting the input from General Mattis is something I find very troubling.”
Do you believe in never-ending wars?
“We keep our troops stationed in various places so we can prevent bad things from happening. That’s one of the reasons we have troops around the world. Are we going to be the policeman? No. But are we….going to ensure stability? Yes. It’s good for us and it’s good for the world.”
What is your response to Trump’s criticism about you not being a ‘team player.’?
“Where we disagree, we’ll just have to disagree.”
The upshot: While Romney will likely vote in lockstep with the Trump agenda, he’s leaving his options open to back another contender in 2020 if a more “presidential” Republican challenger emerges.