Staff Reports
Utah Senator Mitt Romney criticized Donald Trump for the lackluster performance of the Republican Party in the midterm elections. He also cautioned against supporting the former president in a potential presidential run in 2024.
In an interview with Saul Kapur, Romney said that Trump was an "albatross" for the Republican Party's chances in the elections. He also claimed that the president helped select some of the party's candidates who didn't perform well.
During the interview, which was aired on Monday, Romney noted that he expected Trump to run again. He compared his potential run to that of an aging pitcher who loses over and over again yet refuses to retire.
According to Romney, if the Republican Party wants to win, it needs a different pitcher on the mound. He noted that there are some fans who love Trump but it's time for him to step aside.
Since Trump's victory in the 2016 election, Romney has been highly critical of the president. He called him a fraud.
In the two Trump impeachment trials, Romney voted for his conviction both times. In May, he predicted that Trump would be the Republican Party's presidential nominee in 2024.
Several of Trump's supporters and the president have blamed Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader. Trump reportedly called his allies in Congress and urged them to blame McConnell.
According to data from Ballotpedia, the success rate of Trump's endorsements decreased during the midterm elections. Although almost all of the candidates he endorsed won their primaries, his rate of success dropped to around 80% during the general election. Some of the prominent individuals he backed who lost included Senate candidates in Pennsylvania and Arizona, such as Mehmet Oz and Blake Masters.
