Romney says government's initial response to coronavirus 'will not stand out as a great moment in American leadership'

Mitt Romney.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) didn't criticize President Trump by name on Tuesday night, but he did share his disappointment with the federal government's initial response to the coronavirus outbreak, saying the speed of it "looked slow compared to other people. That first phase will not stand out as a great moment in American leadership. We didn't look real strong, and that's kind of an understatement."

He made his remarks during a video chat with Georgetown University students, The Washington Post reports. Romney had a weak relationship with Trump prior to voting for one of the two articles of impeachment against him, and since then, Trump has admitted he still holds a grudge and that's why Romney is the only Senate Republican not on a bipartisan coronavirus task force. "I'm not a fan of Mitt Romney," Trump said. "I don't really want his advice."

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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.