Outgoing Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) admitted that “MAGA is the Republican Party” now and lamented that history likely won’t remember his legacy.
In a congressional exit interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Romney predicted that Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will likely be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee for 2028.
“Oh, MAGA is the Republican Party, and Donald Trump is the Republican Party today,” Romney said. “And if you were to ask me who the nominee will be in 2028, it’ll be J.D. Vance.”
Mitt Romney: "MAGA is the Republican Party and Donald Trump is the Republican Party today…The Republican Party has become the party of the working class, middle class voter. And you've got to give Donald Trump credit for having done that—taking that away from the Democrats." pic.twitter.com/1lZQNs9q3w
— Julia 🇺🇸 (@Jules31415) December 15, 2024
Romney has been an outspoken critic of both Trump and Vance but didn’t want to “rehash” those criticisms in the wake of Trump’s “overwhelming” election victory, and in fact suggested the Trump administration be given a chance to enact his America First policies.
“Donald Trump won. He won overwhelmingly. He said what he was going to do, and that’s what he’s doing. I mean, people are saying, ‘oh, I don’t like this appointment or this policy that he’s talking about,'” Romney said. “But those are the things he said he was going to do when he ran. So you can’t complain about someone who does what he said he was going to do.”
Even Senator Mitt Romney knows President Trump has a mandate:
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 15, 2024
"Donald Trump won. He won overwhelmingly. He said what he was going to do — and that's what he's doing … You can't complain about someone who does what he said he was going to do." pic.twitter.com/xtNv2FkXJU
Weighing in on Trump’s Cabinet picks, Romney said they were “an unusual collection of individuals” and “not the people I would have chosen.”
“But I lost. He won,” Romney said.
NEW: Romney on Trump cabinet picks:
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) December 15, 2024
“An unusual collection of individuals. Not the people I would have chosen, but I lost. He won." pic.twitter.com/ggk0FlXKb5
When asked by host Jake Tapper how he wanted to be remembered for his time serving as governor then senator, Romney reflected that history likely won’t remember his legacy, lamenting he would simply be a “footnote” in the history books.
“I don’t think history will remember Mitt Romney,” he said, adding “It’s a footnote for somebody who’s reading ancient history.”
“I want my family to remember me as someone who stood up for the things I believe, was not embarrassed by my fundamental beliefs, who loved the country and did what I believed was right to help preserve the greatest nation on Earth,” he added.
Here’s how history will remember Romney: he became the only senator in US history to vote to convict a president from his own political party in February 2020, siding with Democrats to disqualify Trump from the White House following his second impeachment trial.
Romney, who’s term as senator ends on January 3, 2025, delivered his farewell speech on the Senate floor earlier this month, calling for bipartisanship and unity in a climate of heightened partisanship.
Watch Romney’s full interview: