Sen. Mitt Romney, no fan of former President Donald Trump, admitted earlier this week he is “pretty sure” Trump would win the 2024 GOP nomination “in a landslide” if he seeks it.
Speaking Tuesday with Andrew Ross Sorkin of The New York Times, Romney conceded that Trump remains a dominant force in the Republican Party.
“Will President Trump continue to play a role in my party? I’m sure he will,” Romney said. “He has by far the largest voice and a big impact in my party. I don’t know about his family members, whether they intend to do that, but I expect he will continue playing a role.”
“I don’t know if he’ll run in 2024 or not, but if he does, I’m pretty sure he will win the nomination,” Romney continued.
Acknowledging that “a lot can happen between now and 2024,” Romney said “the polls show that, among the names being floated as potential contenders in 2024, if you put President Trump in there among Republicans he wins in a landslide.”
Romney nevertheless maintained that he would never vote for Trump, even if he does run again. “I would not be voting for President Trump again. I haven’t voted for him in the past. I would be getting behind somebody in the tiny wing of the Republican Party that I represent.”
Romney was the sole Republican senator to vote in favor of impeaching Trump for abuse of power during his first impeachment trial. He was also one of the seven GOP senators to vote for convicting Trump during the second impeachment trial.
In the same interview, Romney also pointed out that populism is a dominant force in both parties. “There’s a populist movement on the Right in this country and on the Left. They’re not going away any time soon. Although I think over time policies that endure, and that really help the American family, will be more successful. So, I remain, if you will, a more traditional conservative than some of the populist rhetoric within my party.”
Trump allies told Axios last week that Trump plans to assert himself during his upcoming speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) as the dominant figure in the Republican Party and the “presumptive 2024 nominee.”
According to Axios, “A longtime adviser called Trump’s speech a ‘show of force,’ and said the message will be: ‘I may not have Twitter or the Oval Office, but I’m still in charge.’ Payback is his chief obsession.” He reportedly plans to be a kingmaker in the 2022 primaries, when he hopes to help primary campaigns against the Republicans who crossed him. Trump’s PAC, Save America, is flush with $75 million.
“Trump effectively is the Republican Party,” Trump senior adviser Jason Miller told Axios. “The only chasm is between Beltway insiders and grassroots Republicans around the country. When you attack President Trump, you’re attacking the Republican grassroots.”
Related: Petition To Censure Sen. Romney For Impeachment Vote Circulates Among Utah GOP