Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Sen. Mitt Romney aims to influence the Republican Party's direction post-Trump, but doesn't expect to have much sway in the next four years if Donald Trump is elected.
- Romney compared Washington to professional wrestling, critiquing politicians for prioritizing performative tactics over substantive policymaking.
- He urged citizens to elect leaders who genuinely aim to enact change rather than simply generate noise.
SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mitt Romney may be winding down his first and last term representing Utahns in the U.S. Senate, but he still wants to have an active and influential role in politics — and the Republican Party in particular — going forward.
While the senator has not been shy about his thoughts on former President Donald Trump, he was asked Tuesday by a University of Utah student what is "stopping" him from voting for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Several prominent Trump-skeptical Republicans — including former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter former Rep. Liz Cheney — have publicly endorsed the Democratic ticket, and the student wanted to know why Romney has pursued a different tact by not weighing in.
"I made it very clear that I don't want Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States, and you're going to have to do the very difficult calculation of what that would mean," Romney said in response. "My own view is that I want to continue to have a voice in the Republican Party following this election because I think there's a good shot the Republican Party's going to need to be rebuilt and reoriented — either after this election or if Donald Trump is reelected, after he's the president — and I believe I will have more influence in the party by virtue of saying as I've said."
Romney pointed out that he voted twice to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House of Representatives, which would have had the effect of barring the former president from holding federal office again. He said it "shouldn't be terribly hard" for people to figure out what his position is and has previously said he will not vote for Trump.
Romney spoke to a packed room at the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics in Salt Lake City Tuesday as part of the Sutherland Institute's series of forums with members of Utah's congressional delegation. During the nearly hourlong conversation, he also addressed what he sees as a lack of serious lawmakers in Washington and the threat posed by the growing national debt.
After his remarks, KSL.com asked Romney if he really hopes to have influence in the GOP, given that his impeachment votes earned him scorn from many of Trump's loyal supporters.
"Let's say (Trump) wins. What influence will I have over the next four years? None," Romney said. "If he loses, perhaps some. If he wins, and then we look out four years down the road, maybe some, but a healthy democracy requires at least two healthy parties, and so I tend to stay involved."
He said he has listened to pitches from No Labels and the Forward Party, among other third-party groups, and while he said he's been "attentive" to what they have to say, he's not getting involved at this point and intends to remain focused on revitalizing the Republican Party of which he was once the figurehead.
Performative politics
Washington, D.C., has been known by a number of derogatory names — think "swamp" — and often portrayed less than ideally in popular culture — such as the political satire "Veep." After nearly six years in Washington, Romney unflatteringly compared national politics to the world of professional wrestling while speaking to a group of local entrepreneurs at a Kiln coworking space in Lehi earlier Tuesday.
"Professional wrestling is as close to a parallel to Washington as anything I can imagine," Romney said, "which is, the people that are successful are really good at baiting each other. ... People that are getting elected perform for the wing of their party, and they have no intention of actually doing anything. They go to Washington to make noise and get money as a result of that — fundraising money — but not to make law."
"Unfortunately," he said, spending massive amounts of money year after year is not an issue that either party has been able to address in Congress "because Washington is like pro wrestling where all people want to do is make noise and attack each other and go on camera."
Behind the scenes, he said most lawmakers — constant "curmudgeon" Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, aside — actually get along until it's time to set policy.
Romney urged the entrepreneurs and students to seek out politicians who have a track record of getting things done, in the public or private sector.
"The only way that's going to change is if you get some people who actually go to Washington to do something," he said.
