Mitt Romney's 2012 strategist compares Trump campaign to Lehman Brothers, rickety jalopy

Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romney top strategist, savages Donald Trump

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

published 4 August 2016

Mitt Romney is obviously no fan of Donald Trump, his successor as Republican presidential nominee, and neither is his 2012 chief strategist, Stuart Stevens. Now, with "Trump's campaign in full blown panic/collapse mode," says Washington Post columnist Chris Cillizza, it seemed like a good time to check in with Stevens. The GOP strategist had some opinions to share, including his view that the Republican Party needs to have "something close to a total separation" with Trump before November, and "it would be better to make that break now," because Trump is "saying crazy stuff, and it won't get better."

"The whole Trump campaign reminds me of the collapse of Lehman Brothers," Stevens told The Post. "Every day it was hard to imagine it getting worse, but of course it did. And so will Trump. I'd sell now." He also compared Team Trump to a jalopy:

Most cars do fine at 40 or 50 miles an hour. But the test comes when you take it up to 100 mph and run it all day and night. That's when problems emerge and things start to fall off. Conventions and post conventions is when campaigns must start to hit the high speeds necessary to compete in a general election. I don't think Trump or the campaign is any worse or better than a couple of months ago. They were just driving slower. As the speed increases, they can't keep it out of the ditch. [Stuart Stevens, to The Washington Post]

Later, he picked back up the automotive metaphor to discuss problems with the GOP's horrible standing among minorities: "I often hear conversations in the Republican Party that are like being in a car needing to drive 100 miles with only 20 miles of gas left while debating the merits of stopping for gas. The car doesn't care. It will go 20 miles and stop." You can read the entire interview at The Washington Post.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.