Mitt Romney gave a televised interview Friday morning, to follow up on his fiery speech against Donald Trump. But this only begged an important question: If in fact The Donald is such a fraud and a demagogue in both business and politics, then why did Mitt Romney used to like him so much?
Matt Lauer asked: “The people who are angry at you this morning, Gov. Romney, are saying, ‘Wait a second, he willingly welcomed the endorsement of Donald Trump four years ago — even though he was already knee-deep in the Birther movement, and had made other incendiary comments.’ Why go 180 degrees on the guy now?”
“Well first of all, I was seeking his endorsement — now he’s seeking mine. That’s very different. A lot of people endorsed me, I wouldn’t endorse for president,” Romney answered. “And secondly, a lot has happened in the last year. And frankly, had I heard him say the things I’ve heard him say now, I wouldn’t have welcomed his endorsement.
“When he calls George W. Bush a liar; when he says that Putin is a strong and powerful leader, popular with his people; when he mocks a reporter because of their disability; when he attacks women based on their looks, or their menstrual cycle; you’ve basically got a guy who is out of the kind of realm that I’d want to have supporting me.
So let’s get this straight: Trump’s active stoking of racist conspiracy theories against President Obama still made him worthy of standing on a stage to endorse Mitt Romney — but calling George W. Bush a liar is among the points that now make him beyond the pale?
“Did you beg him for his endorsement four years ago?” Lauer also followed up — an allegation for which Trump has used some rather colorful language.
“I was welcoming his endorsement, I was happy to have it. I was looking for as many endorsers as I could possibly have,” Romney said. “But when it comes to who I would support for president, there are a lot of folks who endorsed me, I would not want to see as president.”
It’s a good point, really: A lot of folks who endorsed Mitt Romney really are people that you “would not want to see as president.”
Video viaToday/NBC News.
