Politics
Retiring Romney says Democrats would be an ‘upgrade’ over Trump in 2024 Presidential Race
By Jake Beardslee · November 27, 2023
In brief…
- Romney signals openness to supporting Republicans other than Trump or Democrats in 2024
- He says it would be an "upgrade" over another Trump or Biden term
- Romney is retiring from the Senate and cited his age as a factor
- His biographer speculated Romney may endorse Biden to oppose Trump
Retiring Senator Mitt Romney signaled he would welcome a new Republican or Democratic candidate as president in 2024, saying it would be an “upgrade” over another term for former president Donald Trump.
In an interview with CBS, Romney said “I’d be happy to support virtually any one of the Republicans — maybe not Vivek [Ramaswamy] — but the others that are running would be acceptable to me, and I’d be happy to vote for them.” He added that “I’d be happy to vote for a number of the Democrats too. It would be an upgrade, in my opinion, from Donald Trump and perhaps also from Joe Biden.”
The comments come after Romney announced in September that he will not seek reelection to the Senate in 2024. His decision prompted criticism from Trump on his social media platform, with the former president calling Romney “Pierre Delecto” and saying “he did not serve with distinction.” Romney’s biographer McKay Coppins later suggested the animosity between Romney and Trump is so strong that Romney could potentially endorse Biden in the upcoming election.
As one of Trump’s most vocal GOP critics, Romney has voted to impeach Trump twice and consistently painted him as a danger to the country. In his retirement announcement, the 76-year-old Romney cited his age, saying “it’s time for a new generation of leaders. They’re the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in.”