Apparently, former Massachusetts Governor and failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney leads the list of potential choices for Donald Trump’s Secretary of State. That is surprising given the tough talk (against Trump) that Romney used during the 2016 presidential campaign, but it’s also surprising because so many of Trump’s advisers are against him.
Two prime examples are former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA).
Huckabee told the folks at Fox and Friends that choosing Romney would be a “big insult to all those who voted for Trump.”
.@GovMikeHuckabee: Choosing Mitt Romney as Secretary of State would be a big insult to all those who voted for Trump pic.twitter.com/hizFmHCEvJ
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) November 23, 2016
.@GovMikeHuckabee: Choosing Mitt Romney as Secretary of State would be a big insult to all those who voted for Trump pic.twitter.com/hizFmHCEvJ
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) November 23, 2016
I don’t care for Mitt personally, but I am still unhappy that Mitt did everything he could to derail Donald Trump. He didn’t just go after him from a point of saying I disagree with his policy on immigration, I disagree with his policy on taxes. He attacked him on a personal level about his character, integrity, his honor.
When you do that, there’s only one way that Mitt Romney could even be considered for a post like that and that is he goes to a microphone in a very public place, and he repudiates everything he said in that famous Salt Lake City speech. And everything he’s said after that where he said that Donald Trump wasn’t fit.
That’s beyond the normal political infighting that we all experience. Political infighting is part of the game. But when you go after the person who is the nominee of your party, who has been duly nominated by the voters and then you’re savaging the voters, you’re not just savaging Donald Trump. It would be an insult to all those Donald Trump voters who worked really hard, that’s what I think he has to stop and consider.
OUCH, Huck. Ouch.
But Newt Gingrich wasn’t much nicer about the possibility that Trump might choose Romney as Secretary of State, saying that he could “think of 20 other people who would be more naturally compatible with the Trump vision of foreign policy.”
I would be concerned. One, the vast majority of Trump’s supporters would be very unhappy and would be reminded of all the things Romney said about him this year. And Two, because Romney does represent a very different viewpoint. I’m not sure whose Secretary of State he would be…
Trump would really have to think through. Romney really wanted to be in the president-elect’s job. To what extent would Romney, once he became Secretary of State, would he represent himself going around the world. In the John Kerry tradition. Go from five star hotel to five star hotel, having nice gourmet dinners with foreign leaders.
To what extent would he represent the kind of tough minded America-First policies that Trump has campaigned on. Trump needs someone at State who is very tough and very willing to take on foreign leaders and represent the United States of America…
They apparently had a very good meeting… President-elect Trump deserves to have the team he wants… But I can think of 20 other people who would be more naturally compatible with the Trump vision of foreign policy.
So if two of Trump’s closest advisers are saying “no way” to Romney as Secretary of State… who will Trump choose?
Tags: Donald Trump Mitt Romney
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