Mitt Romney directly calls out Trump for fueling 'hate-filled morass' in U.S. politics

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has apparently had enough.

In a statement released Tuesday, Romney said that, as the November election nears, he is "troubled" by the American political landscape, which he argues has transformed from a place of "spirited debate" into a "vile, vituperative, hate-filled morass that is unbecoming of any free nation."

Romney directly called out President Trump for insulting his political opponents — even after the discovery of a plot to kidnap one of them — and calling for former President Barack Obama's imprisonment. He also said Democrats "launch blistering attacks of their own," though he clarified he believes former Vice President Joe Biden, the party's presidential nominee, "refuses to stoop as low as others."

Article continues below

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

All of this, he said, has been amplified by the media on the left and right, and he suggested the "rabid attacks" could have severe consequences if people "take the small and predictable step from intemperate word to dangerous action." With that in mind, Romney urged all leaders in the country, political or otherwise, to "lower the heat" and "tone it down." Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.