Donald Trump’s curious consideration of Mitt Romney to be the nation’s top diplomat is being met with a mix of skepticism and steadfast resistance from a surprising bunch: some of those who worked to get Trump elected.
While the 2012 Republican presidential nominee seemingly remains among Trump’s top choices for secretary of state, a group of current and former aides are quietly undermining Romney’s chances.
“His base would revolt,” warns one campaign aide now working on the transition, speaking to U.S. News on the condition of anonymity.
A second transition staffer, when asked about Romney via text message, replied with a sleeping emoji after outlining positive attributes of three other contenders for the role.
A separate and former campaign aide predicted many Trump supporters would view a Romney selection as a painful betrayal, given his withering criticism of the president-elect during the primary and his reputation in conservative circles as a rudderless establishment politician.
“Plus he has a plethora of other solid choices available,” this former aide notes.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former CIA Director and retired Gen. David Petraeus, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, former U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton all have been floated as prospects to lead Trump’s State Department.
But on a conference call Tuesday, Trump transition aides noted that besides Romney and Giuliani, they have never confirmed any other names as candidates for the job. And they stressed that some of Trump’s meetings with prominent figures are to gather advice about whom to pick.
On Tuesday, Trump met with ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, another seemingly longshot candidate but someone whose global perspective Trump was interested in hearing.
“To ascribe all these particular individuals to jobs is a little premature,” Trump transition spokesman Sean Spicer said on the call.
The aides dodged a question about Trump’s timeline for a decision on what is arguably his most pivotal Cabinet appointment, with Trump spokesman Jason Miller saying only, “The president-elect will let us know when he’s ready.”
That open time frame has handed Trump’s team ample space to make their case internally and through media channels about their preferences for the coveted slot.
Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway has been the most vocal and direct about her resistance to Romney, citing the “breathtaking” scope and intensity of backlash from supporters who think Romney “went so far out of his way to hurt Donald Trump.”
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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who remains a Trump adviser, has openly mocked Romney for allegedly ” sucking up” to Trump. On Sean Hannity’s Fox News program last week, Gingrich said, “There is an enormous base that wanted to drain the swamp, and they see Romney as the swamp.”
Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who serves on Trump’s transition team and met with the president-elect last week, also noted fierce anti-Romney backlash.
“I have heard from many of my constituents who would rather Mr. Romney not be the choice,” she says, though she notes potential pick Corker also is from the Volunteer State.
Blackburn says she appreciates that Trump is taking time and care to mull the decision, but that “it would appear that it is still a little bit fluid.”
Asked if she could back Trump’s choice of Romney, she says she is “going to be comfortable with anyone Mr. Trump chooses.”
But that won’t be the case for many Trump supporters still furious at Romney, who unfurled a sweeping denunciation of Trump in a speech in March. On foreign policy, Romney said Trump is “very, very not smart,” and added that his “foreign policies would make America and the world less safe.”
Even once Trump captured the GOP nomination and looked competitive in a race against Hillary Clinton, the former Massachusetts governor never came around to supporting his party’s standard-bearer and firmly stated he would not vote for him.
While Trump is clearly intrigued — or at least entertained — by the prospect of elevating one of his sharpest critics to be one of his most important governing partners, there’s also the question of whether Romney could fully embody and faithfully advocate for Trump’s unorthodox approaches.
As just one example, while Romney has in the past pinpointed Russia as the nation’s top geopolitical foe, Trump has signaled he would like to attain a closer relationship with President Vladimir Putin.
Romney also holds a more interventionist worldview than Trump, who has said he wants to produce a foreign policy that avoids messy foreign conflicts and places “America First.”
It also must weigh on Romney that even if he is offered the position, his power could be limited in an administration populated by other, stauncher Trump allies like secretary of defense nominee James Mattis and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s incoming national security adviser. That after two meetings Trump still has not settled on Romney may signal that his prospects have diminished.
“I don’t feel like Romney’s likely to get it. It seems like if he was going to do that, he would’ve done it a week ago,” says Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution. “Petraeus is used to taking his orders from a civilian. He’s not as part of the mainstream Republican orthodoxy. In that sense, he’s a better fit with Trump.”
On the other hand, Romney would be a choice that commands immediate stature internationally, much like President Barack Obama’s appointment of Clinton. He would be seen as a steady and competent hand at the wheel to navigate the world’s most turbulent affairs.
Politically, a Romney nomination also would likely face far less pushback from Democrats than Giuliani or Petraeus. Giuliani has overseas business entanglements that would earn substantial scrutiny in Senate hearings, and Petraeus famously pleaded guilty to providing classified information to a woman who was his mistress and biographer.
Ironically, Romney’s biggest hurdles may be finding cohesion with Trump’s worldview — which is so far proving to be less ideological and more theatrical, driven by strength and risk — and Trump trusting him to implement it.
But if Trump ultimately does select Romney, it would mark his boldest choice, one that daringly defies his base and bets on the political capital he believes he’s earned. It also would gloss Trump as a gracious statesman who can rise above bitter politics for the good of the country.
Then again, simply extending the olive branch to Romney in the first place may have helped achieve that goal. After all, Trump understands the theater of politics better than almost anyone. Having a consistent parade of high-profile politicians, business executives and media celebrities gliding into Trump Tower’s golden elevator helps validate a presidency many still are struggling to come to grips with.
“Maybe he’s fundamentally undecided,” O’Hanlon says. “But there’s a purpose that’s served even if he’s not taking most of these people seriously.”
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Skepticism, Resistance Surrounds Donald Trump’s Consideration of Mitt Romney originally appeared on usnews.com
