Donald Trump: Mitt Romney was a 'frozen jellyfish' in 2012 race


In a freewheeling interview with The Washington Post, Donald Trump shot down reports that Republican Party leaders are trying to contain the fallout from his presidential campaign. He claimed that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus had, in fact, called him up on Wednesday to congratulate him on his campaign thus far, telling Trump that he had "really hit a nerve." Trump has been in hot water for claiming that Mexican immigrants are "killers" and "rapists."
Trump also had some colorful opinions about the upcoming GOP presidential debate, which Republican officials fear could be hijacked by the brash real estate tycoon. As he told the Post:
"I'm not a debater," he said. "I don't debate. I build buildings, and I grow jobs. These [other candidates] debate every [expletive] night of their life. That's all they do. They talk."Trump suggested that Mitt Romney spent too much time preparing for debates as the 2012 Republican nominee."He became a frozen jelly fish," Trump said. "He spent so much time in prep he couldn't speak." [The Washington Post]
The first GOP debate is scheduled for Aug. 6 in Cleveland.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
5 inexcusably hilarious cartoons about Ghislaine Maxwell angling for a pardon
Cartoons Artists take on the circle of life, Ghislaine's Island, and more
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Sudoku medium: August 2, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein