President Trump Bashes 'Failed Presidential Candidate' Mitt Romney After Impeachment Acquittal
WASHINGTON (CBS) – President Donald Trump slammed Utah Sen. Mitt Romney as a "failed presidential candidate" in a speech celebrating his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial. The former Massachusetts governor broke with his party to vote to convict Trump of abusing the power of his office.
"One failed presidential candidate" was the only Republican to vote with the Democrats, Trump said. Romney was the 2012 Republican nominee and lost to former President Barack Obama.
Pres. Trump appears to refer to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who voted guilty on one article, as "the failed presidential candidate," continuing, "things can happen when you fail so badly running for president." https://t.co/5ZUaMMz0wp pic.twitter.com/9z51htHctO
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 6, 2020
"The only one that voted against was a guy that can't stand the fact that he ran one of the worst campaigns in the history of the presidency," he said.
Trump also brought up Romney when thanking fellow Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee.
"Say hello the people of Utah and tell them, I'm sorry about Mitt Romney," Trump said.
Keller @ Large: Mitt Romney's Father Would Be Proud
Romney said on the Senate floor Wednesday that Trump abused his power when he pressured Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden.
"Corrupting an election to keep one's self in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine," Romney said.
He was also emotional when talking about his faith and "oath before God," that clinched his impeachment vote.
"The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust," Romney said. "What the president did was wrong, grievously wrong."
Trump took a swing at Romney's faith as well in his remarks, saying he "used religion as a crutch."
"Never heard him use it before. . . it's a failed presidential candidate so things can happen," Trump said.