Former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich offered a harsh response to freshman Senator Mitt Romney’s Washington Post op-ed in which the Utah lawmaker chastised President Donald Trump over his character and policies. “The Senate doesn’t care who you used to be,” said Gingrich.
“Fox & Friends” host Steve Doocy asked Gingrich on Wednesday, “What say you about what’s going on with these top Republicans?”
“Well, first of all, Mitt Romney is a freshman senator. So he’s only a top Republican because he was once the nominee and lost,” Gingrich replied. “I think 80-85% of the party supports Trump. I’m not sure what Mitt Romney is trying to accomplish.”
Gingrich expressed dismay that Romney did not choose to criticize the Democrat Party for their Leftist policies.
“It is kind of sad. As a freshman, he could have come in, he could have written, as the former governor of Massachusetts, his views on Elizabeth Warren running for office,” he explained. “He could have written about the shutdown and offered an idea, such as combining help for the DREAMers with building the wall and securing the border. He could have written about things he knows a great deal about.”
“From Romney’s own standpoint, I don’t understand strategically, why you would try to carve out being the anti-Trump before you’re even sworn in as a freshman,” Gingrich continued. “I think it is important for Romney — and he’ll learn this in the Senate. The Senate doesn’t care who you used to be. The senators aren’t going to say they owe him a lot of extra room because he was once the Republican nominee. He’s a freshman senator. He needs to learn how the Senate works, and ideally, because he’s a very smart guy, he’s going to focus on actually solving problems, not just getting involved in a game with Trump. Because he’ll just plain lose. You can’t take Trump on inside his own party.”
Video and partial transcript below:
Well, first of all, Mitt Romney is a freshman senator. So he’s only a top Republican because he was once the nominee and lost.
I think 80-85% of the party supports Trump. I’m not sure what Mitt Romney is trying to accomplish.
It is kind of sad. As a freshman, he could have come in, he could have written as the former governor of Massachusetts, his views on Elizabeth Warren running for office. He could have written about the shutdown and offered an idea, such as combining help for the DREAMers with building the wall and securing the border. He could have written about things he knows a great deal about.
Why he would pick his very first venture to be an attack on the Republican president, you’d have to ask Romney. I can’t figure out why he thought that was helpful to him …
I think Romney has always wanted to be president, I think he’d like to be president now …
From Romney’s own standpoint, I don’t understand strategically, why you would try to carve out being the anti-Trump before you’re even sworn in as a freshman.
I think it is important for Romney — and he’ll learn this in the Senate. The Senate doesn’t care who you used to be. The senators aren’t going to say they owe him a lot of extra room because he was once the Republican nominee. He’s a freshman senator. He needs to learn how the Senate works, and ideally, because he’s a very smart guy, he’s going to focus on actually solving problems, not just getting involved in a game with Trump. Because he’ll just plain lose. You can’t take Trump on inside his own party.