Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney Will Not Support Vice President Kamala Harris for President, Despite Outspoken Criticism of Former President Trump.
“I’ve made it very clear that I do not want Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States,” Romney said Tuesday at the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics, the New York Times reported.
“I want to continue to be a voice in the Republican Party after this election. I think there is a good opportunity to rebuild or rebuild the Republican Party,” he added later at the political forum.
Romney announced last year that he will not seek re-election as senator representing the Beehive State and will leave office in January. The Republican has long been critical of Trump and indicated in June that he would not support the 45th president's re-election.
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Senator Mitt Romney speaks to the media in his office in the Russell Senate Office Building on September 13, 2023 in Washington. (via Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Getty Images)
“With President Trump, it's a matter of personal character,” Romney told CNN at the time. “I draw the line and say that when someone is actually a victim of sexual assault, that's something I'm not going to cross with someone I'm not. I am going to do. He wants to be president of the United States.” Romney's comments referred to the ruling of a federal jury in New York City last year, which ruled that Trump was not responsible for the rape of E. Jean Carroll, even though the former president was responsible for sexual assault and defamation.
Kamala Harris joins Liz Cheney in the birthplace of the Republican Party
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Rebecca Droke/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Romney also criticized Trump for January 6, 2021, when supporters of the then-president stormed the US Capitol, arguing that Trump had incited a riot because of his “hurt pride” in the 2020 election. of the Senate who voted to impeach Trump on January 6.
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Romney was also the only Republican to vote to impeach Trump in 2020 to avoid abuse of power and congressional indictments. Trump was acquitted in both impeachment cases and is the only president in history to be impeached twice and acquitted twice.
Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Mitt Romney and former President Trump (Getty Images)
Trump also responded to Romney, saying in 2020 that the Utah senator “can't stand the fact that he ran the worst campaign in the history of the presidency”, referring to his run for the White House in 2012 and calling him a “disgrace” for having voted for impeachment in the same year.
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While Romney has already severed ties with the Republican Party on other key issues, he signaled Tuesday that he would not offer his support to Harris, even as other Republicans have recently thrown their support behind the vice president. Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney officially endorsed Harris last week and joined him on the campaign trail in Wisconsin, while former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger and former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake also supported Harris.
Fox News Digital reached out to Romney's office for additional comment on the matter but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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