Trump is already attacking Mitt Romney, ignoring aides urging him to let it go


Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) didn't give the White House or the Republican National Committee, run by a niece, advance warning that he would announce his vote to convict President Trump for abuse of power on Wednesday, but he knew the blowback was coming. And it came quickly. Donald Trump Jr. was the first Trump to attack Romney, saying the Senate GOP should expel Romney — which won't happen — and mocking him for wearing "mom jeans."
The president, who hates defections and had wanted to poach at least one Senate Democrat for acquittal (he got none), held his fire for a few hours. Then on Wednesday evening he posted an attack video in which the narrator says Romney, a lifetime Republican and the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, is "posing as a Republican" and was "exposed by news reports as a Democrat secret asset." The ad also contrasts Trump's 2016 victory with Romney's 2012 loss. It doesn't mention impeachment.
"Whether the thirst for vengeance against Romney is sustained will hinge on Trump, who has long smarted from the Utah Republican's criticism of him and takes pride in hitting back at perceived and real enemies," The Washington Post reports. "Party and campaign officials said privately that they hoped Trump wouldn't obsess over the lone defection and move on from impeachment," and "a senior Trump campaign official said the longer the Romney news cycle drags on, the worse it is for the president, because it focuses attention on his impeachment."
Subscribe to 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.
Senate Republicans shrugged off Don Jr.'s call to cancel Romney, but Romney's eight-minute floor speech announcing his decision did not paint his GOP colleagues in a flattering light, either.
"The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. Yes, he did," Romney told a nearly empty Senate chamber. "The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust."
"I am aware that there are people in my party and in my state who will strenuously disapprove of my decision, and in some quarters, I will be vehemently denounced," Romney added. "I am sure to hear abuse from the president and his supporters. Does anyone seriously believe I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
July 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include paying for school lunch by enlisting, and the banality of evil
-
5 biting editorial cartoons about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Cartoons Artists take on dangerous green things, historical precedent, and more
-
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
The Week Recommends New Unesco Global Geopark played a 'key role' in the birth of modern geological science
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami