Romney defends his 'stop Trump' campaign: 'I simply had to speak out'

In a Friday morning appearance on NBC's Today, Mitt Romney defended Thursday's big "stop Trump" speech, and tried to square it with the fact that he was endorsed by Trump in 2012 — an endorsement he had, at the time, accepted with glowing praise.

"A lot of people endorsed me who I wouldn't endorse for president," Romney said, adding that knowing what he knows now about Trump, he wouldn't have welcomed the endorsement.

Romney also pointedly reinforced his "anybody but Trump" campaign on the heels of Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich pledging to support Trump were he to get the Republican nomination. "You get to a point where your grandchildren are going to say, 'Papa, what did you do to stop Donald Trump?'" Romney said. "I simply had to speak out."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

Watch some of the interview, below. Jeva Lange