Trump is reportedly trying his hardest to keep Mitt Romney from becoming Utah's next senator

Mitt Romney and Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

President Trump is doing everything he can to prevent Mitt Romney from running for U.S. Senate in Utah, even if it means keeping 83-year-old Orrin Hatch from enjoying retirement.

Hatch, who with seven terms under his belt is the longest-serving Republican senator in history, previously speculated publicly and told Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee, that he should think about running for his seat, Romney friends told Politico. Romney started talking to Utah Republicans and preparing to run, but Hatch is now refusing to say if he'll retire, and several people tell Politico that's because Trump doesn't like the idea of Romney replacing him.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

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.