Retiring Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) last week insisted that his attendance at the meeting Senate Republicans held with GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump did not suggest this his views on the former president had changed.
Trump visited Capitol Hill on Thursday, June 13, where he met with the House Republican Conference and members of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
When asked by CNN congressional correspondent Manu Raju last Tuesday about his attendance at the meeting, Romney said he did not attend to show support for Donald Trump but to “listen” to what Trump planned to do if he was elected president in November.
Romney reiterated that his objection to Trump was “a matter of personal character,” suggesting that he drew the line at supporting someone a jury found liable of assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll. He said that was something he could not “cross over” in someone he would want as president.
The Utah senator has long been an opponent of Donald Trump and voted to convict him in both impeachment trials. He has repeatedly said he would not vote for Trump in 2024.
When asked earlier this year why he refused to support Trump in November, Romney said it had to do with “two factors,” namely the former president’s character and his policies.
Romney has argued that having a president like Donald Trump, “who is so defaulted of character,” would have an impact on the character of the United States.
During his meeting with Senate Republicans on June 13, the former president and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell greeted each other with a warm handshake and first bump, despite the contentious relationship between the two over the years.
Senator McConnell described the meeting as “entirely productive” and said he and the president had a chance to chat.
Trump told reporters following the meetings that the GOP had “tremendous unity” heading into the November election.
