Donald Trump and Mitt Romney certainly got their relationship off on the wrong foot. Romney made so many negative comments about Trump during the campaign, that one could easily have mistaken him for a Democrat, or at least a support of Hillary. And maybe he was.
Trump supporters are very suspicious of Mr. Romney, and for that matter, of his former running mate Paul Ryan as well. Those two gentlemen are seen as rather liberal, and willing to sell out conservative Republicans for political expediency. All of which is a round-about way of saying that conservatives do not trust Romney or Ryan.
However, Mr. Trump is now the boss, or will be in a month and a half. So we now find some of Mr. Trump’s former opponents in the Republican Party singing a different tune. Should we believe they’ve truly been converted to fans of Trump? Let’s see what is going on with Mr. Romney.
Mitt Romney, the former GOP presidential nominee being considered for secretary of State, praised President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday night after a dinner in New York.
“I happen to think that America’s best days are ahead of us,” Romney said after dinner, according to pool reports. “I think you’re going to see America continue to lead the world in this century.”
Romney, who said he was discussing “affairs throughout the world” with Trump, told reporters he was “impressed” with how Trump handled his victory speech and his transition efforts, naming Cabinet-level nominees such as South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions.
“All of those things combined gives me increasing hope that President-elect Trump is the very man who can lead us to that better future,” Romney said at around 9:30 p.m. ET in the lobby of Trump Tower.
That is a radical change on the part of Mr. Romney. Fortunately, Trump is no fool — nor is he reluctant to say what he thinks. So if Mr. Romney really is being considered for the position of secretary of state, he’s not going to have to guess at what Trump would expect of him.
The secretary of State post isn’t necessarily a done deal for Romney. Trump also met with Sen. Bob Corker, another contender for the State post, on Tuesday in New York City. The senator said earlier this month he believes someone else is more likely to get the job — probably someone who was involved in Trump’s campaign. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani also expressed interest the position.
Romney is seen as a favorite for secretary of State among established Republicans, but others, such as aide Kellyanne Conway, have criticized Trump for considering someone who was so critical of him during the presidential campaign.
The intrigue over who Trump will pick obviously continues. And Trump clearly realizes that some of his hard-core supporters will be very suspicious if not downright furious if he nominates Mr. Romney for a position in his cabinet. If a Romney nomination does eventuate, The Donald will have some work to do with his base.
“People feel betrayed to think that Governor Romney — who went out of his way to question the character and the intellect and the integrity of Donald Trump, now our president-elect — would be given the most significant cabinet post of all, secretary of State,” Conway said Sunday on NBC’s Meet The Press.
But Romney seems to be singing a different tune these days.
“By the way, it’s not easy winning. I know that myself. He did something I tried to do and was unsuccessful in,” Romney said. “He won the general election and he continues with a message of inclusion and bringing people together and his vision is something which obviously connected with the American people in a very powerful way.”
Trump supporters have every right to be apprehensive about Mitt Romney holding a position in Trump’s administration, especially one as important as the secretary of state. Would Romney clearly be a team player who Trump could trust? Perhaps only Romney and Trump know that.
We can take some comfort in the firm knowledge that Donald Trump is anything but naive. He’s dealt with politicians and other cut-throats all his career. He has not achieved success to the degree he has in business by being played the fool or by being taken in by hucksters. In other words, Romney has to know that he won’t be able to play games with Donald Trump. After all, this is a guy who made the phrase, “You’re fired!” famous.
Source: USA Today
NO TO ROMNEY FOR ANY POST !!
No