The most weirdly hypocritical takedowns in Mitt Romney's anti-Trump speech
Mitt Romney's Thursday morning Donald Trump takedown was highly anticipated, but for all the wrong reasons. For one, Donald Trump has been having a field day taking shots at Romney in the lead-up to the speech, pointing out (rightly) that the onetime Republican presidential nominee had sought Trump's endorsement years ago. "Failed candidate Mitt Romney, who ran one of the worst races in presidential history, is working with the establishment to bury a big 'R' win!" Trump gleefully scolded on Twitter.
And then there was the speech itself. A preview of Romney's speech was released ahead of time, prompting Gawker to beg, "Mitt! Please don't deliver this terrible speech!" Romney's "fighting words" were "phony" and "fraud" and "very, very not smart" — a cringe-worthy defense against super-bully Trump:
Mitt Romney is not going to win an insult contest against Donald Trump. He is definitely not going to win an insult contest against Donald Trump in which he has already handed Trump an advance list of his planned insults. [Gawker]
On top of all of that, Romney's speech was mysteriously tone-deaf, completely refusing to acknowledge the more inconvenient hypocrisies of his about-face on Trump. Here are some of the most glaring moments, below. Jeva Lange
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
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Why is Trump threatening defense firms?Talking Points CEO pay and stock buybacks will be restricted
-
How Utah became a media focal pointIn Depth From #MomTok to reality TV gems, Utah has emerged as a media powerhouse
-
‘The security implications are harder still to dismiss’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
