MSNBC host refuses to glorify 'complicit' Romney after begging Trump for a job
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) scored positive press at the end of the week when an excerpt of an upcoming biography was released by The Atlantic in which the Utah senator dishes about his colleagues' hatred for Donald Trump.
But MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan isn't giving Romney credit because it comes after years of the Republican's embrace of some Trumpism.
"The Atlantic profile kicked off a good-bye tour for Mitt Romney after announcing he would not seek reelection," the host explained. "He comes across somewhat of a hero, a sane and sensible Republican. A relic of the pre-Trump era. In many ways, that is true. That is also skipping over a crucial element of Romney's political history, both ancient and recent. Remember this was a guy indulged in racist birtherism against Barack Obama in 2012. He made jokes about his own birth certificate on the campaign trail as he ran for president."
He also recalled the dinner Romney shared with Trump after Hillary Clinton was defeated in 2016 in which Romney thought he was on the short-list for Secretary of State.
"Romney gushed about, it's saying he shared a wonderful evening before Trump kicked him to the curb," recalled Hasan. Trump ridiculed Romney after the dinner was over. "And there is what Romney told the Washington Post just this week. Trump and Biden are both, not good candidates. How is that bravely taking a stand against the reelection of Donald Trump?"
Writer Wajaht Ali joined the discussion, saying that claiming Romney as a hero shows just how far the GOP has gone.
"The only reason we throw around a loaded term like hero for it Mitt Romney is because the conservative movement, with their own assessment of the excerpt, has been so extreme," said Ali. "The bar has been so lowered that if you simply hop over it in the protection of our Constitution and in a free and fair election, which Mitt Romney did — and we praise him for it. You're seen as a hero. As you laid out, this man has been utterly complicit in helping to nurture, enable, and create the modern conservative movement and the Republican Party, which according to the excerpt, has turned against him in such a violent way, Mehdi, that he has to shell out $5,000 a day for security to protect his own family from Republican voters."
See the full conversation in the video below or at the link here.
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