Trump demands Mitt Romney be a 'team player' after critical op-ed

published 2 January 2019

President Trump's feud with Senator-elect Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has been fully reignited.

"Here we go with Mitt Romney," Trump tweeted Wednesday after the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 presidential candidate published an op-ed criticizing his character. Trump demanded Romney "be helpful" and a "TEAM player" while a member of the U.S. Senate, also taking a swipe at his 2012 election loss, writing, "I won big, and he didn't."

Romney in his op-ed said that Trump has "not risen to the mantle of the office." Any president, he wrote, should demonstrate "honesty and integrity" and "elevate the national discourse with comity and mutual respect," but in that department, Trump has fallen short. He also promised to "speak out against significant statements or actions" from Trump that are "divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest, or destructive to democratic institutions."

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This wasn't too surprising considering Romney criticized Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, calling him a "phony" and a "fraud" and ultimately refusing to vote for him in the general election. Trump, in turn, went after Romney, calling him a "mixed up man who doesn't have a clue." Despite this, Trump ultimately endorsed Romney's 2018 campaign, saying he would "make a great Senator."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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