Republican Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) has acknowledged the possibility of voting for a Democrat in the 2024 presidential election. This admission follows his recent announcement that he won’t seek re-election next year. Some observers suggest that with his decision not to run for office, Romney is no longer adhering to the RINO (Republican in Name Only) label.
In an interview with Norah O’Donnell on CBS’s “Person To Person,” Romney disclosed his consideration of officially supporting the Democratic candidate in the upcoming election.
Romney clarified that his opposition extends beyond just former President Donald Trump. When questioned about his preference in the 2024 primary race, he indicated willingness to support any Republican nominee except for Trump or businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. The interview originally aired in October but gained renewed attention on social media over the weekend, as reported by Newsweek.
“I’d be happy to support virtually any one of the Republicans — maybe not Vivek,” Romney admitted.
“But, uh, but the others that are running would be acceptable to me, and I’d be happy to vote for them.”
“I’d be happy to vote for a number of the Democrats, too,” Romney added.
“I mean, it would be an upgrade from, in my opinion, from Donald Trump and perhaps also from Joe Biden.
“Look, I like President Biden, you know,” said Romney, the 2012 GOP candidate for president.
“I find him a very charming, engaging person.
“There’s some places I agree with him, but most places I disagree with him.
“I think he’s made all sorts of terrible mistakes but, uh, I would like to see someone else run.”
Mitt Romney says he would “be happy to” vote for Democrats over Trump or Vivek pic.twitter.com/4CoWa6iRn2
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) November 25, 2023
Romney further revealed that he has engaged in phone conversations with President Biden. Additionally, he defended Biden against criticisms regarding his age, stating, “I’ve negotiated with President Biden on the infrastructure bill.”
“We met at his office and talked at length on a whole series of issues …
“He’s mentally capable.”
“I’m not afraid of people who are older being in positions of leadership,” he added.
“Heck, the president of my church is 99 years old and does a fine job leading our church, so I’m OK with that.”
In a previous part of the interview, Romney expressed his concerns about the 45th president, citing “the dishonesties that have been spoken by Donald Trump.” However, he did not elaborate on his opposition to Ramaswamy. It’s noteworthy that both Trump and Ramaswamy share a robust “America first” stance and the status of being political outsiders.
Romney’s statement about considering a vote for a Democrat suggests that, for him, personal feelings of resentment take precedence over his principles. A Twitter user summed it up, noting that Romney is “filthy rich, and a collapsed economy doesn’t affect him.”