Mitt Romney and George Santos exchanged words before State of the Union

published 8 February 2023

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) had what appeared to be a heated exchange ahead of President Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

Santos was elected in November, and since then, it's been revealed that he lied about his education, employment, and family history, and questions are swirling around his campaign finances. Several New York Republican lawmakers, as well as his constituents, have called on Santos to resign — a request he has refused.

Santos managed to snag an aisle seat for Biden's address, and as Romney walked by him, the senator stopped to talk with the embattled congressman. Cameras captured the brief exchange, and it appears Romney said "I'd be embarrassed" three times, as well as, "I wouldn't be here." Santos nodded a few times, and responded, but with his back to the cameras for most of the encounter, it wasn't clear what he said.

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The Daily Show, however, has one idea on what Santos told the senator:

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.