MITT Romney said that Donald Trump’s leadership in the Covid pandemic has been a “great human tragedy” and that his fraud claims are “damaging America.”
The Republican senator slammed the president during an interview with CNN on Thursday.
Anchor Wolf Blitzer asked Romney “where is the president’s leadership” as he recalled the daily coronavirus figures.
“Yesterday on the coronavirus, it was the single deadliest day of the pandemic.
“More than 2,800 Americans were reported dead just yesterday alone, more than 100,000 people are hospitalized all across the country,” Blitzer recalled.
“So here is the question, Senator, where is the president’s leadership? He’s obsessed with everything else, not with this.”
Romney went on to say that the pandemic “hasn’t been the focus of his [Trump’s] rhetoric” before appearing to slam his leadership skills.
“I think it’s a great human tragedy, without question. The extraordinary loss of life is heartbreaking. And in some respects, unnecessary. Not in all respects, but we’ve relaxed our standards as individuals.”
He went on to suggest that the lack of country-wide mask mandates may have increased the spread of the virus.
Romney then said that the pandemic is not political, before appearing to point fingers at Trump’s leadership yet again.
“It’s unfortunate that this became a political issue. It’s not political. This is public health,” he said.
“And, unfortunately, we have not made that message clear enough to the American people. And people are dying because of it.
“Unless you take this very, very seriously and communicate that this is not a political matter, this is not a matter of liberty, this is a matter of safety and public health.
“And we have people who are very, very sick, many people in the hospital. We have people who have died and are dying. It’s unacceptable.”
Romney went on to blast the president further when he was quizzed about Trump’s comments on voter fraud in the 2020 Election.
Blitzer asked Romney “how much damage” he believes the president’s claims and his refusal to concede have done to America.
The senator provided several examples of how Trump’s claims have been debunked, listing the courts and Attorney General Bill Barr’s denials.
“So, for the president or anyone else to go out and allege widespread fraud and say the election is rigged, and the election was stolen, that obviously strikes at the very foundation of democracy here, and around the world for that matter,” Romney said.
“People watch America. If we can’t have a free and fair election, how can they have it in other nations of the world? This is critical for the whole cause of democracy.
“Russia and China have to be laughing, smiling from ear to ear. This is critical for the preservation of the very democracy and freedom that’s important for our country and for others.”
He concluded: “If he doesn’t have evidence that could convince a court, and if he doesn’t have evidence to convince the American people of widespread voter fraud, then making these accusations is only damaging the cause of freedom and putting people’s lives at risk.”
Romney also confirmed that he has “accepted the fact” that Joe Biden has won the election and will become the president on January 20.
Trump and Romney have had a heated relationship, that they have both been outspoken about.
Last month, Romney accused the president of trying to “subvert will of the people” in an “undemocratic” bid to overturn the election results.
Romney said Trump’s campaign “failed to make a plausible case for widespread fraud or conspiracy before any court of law.”
His statement read: “The President has now resorted to overt pressure on state and local officials to subvert the will of the people and overturn the election.
“It is difficult to imagine a worse, more undemocratic action by a sitting American President.”
Trump hit back on Twitter, saying Romney was a Republican In Name Only (RINO), writing “I’m sure, however, that he feels he got slaughtering by Obama ‘fair and square.'”
In November, GOP member Romney appeared to back Trump challenging the election results and said he nearly did the same in 2012 when he lost to Barack Obama.
But Romney’s office went on to tell Fox News there’s a difference between “pursuing legal challenges” when there’s actual evidence versus “the harmful and damaging rhetoric that the election is rigged.”
“It goes without saying that applying political pressure to local officials not to certify legally cast ballots is outside the bounds of any regular legal challenge,” his spokesperson said.
Romney was the Republican nominee for president in 2012 against former President Barack Obama.
When Trump was elected in 2016, he and Romney sat down for dinner together to discuss making Romney secretary of state – and soon afterward, Romney praised the then-president-elect.
It was later reported that Trump was “toying” with Romney over the position, after he said Trump lacked the temperament and judgment to be president, calling him “a phony, a fraud.”
Trump has called Romney a “pompous a**.”
In February of this year, Romney was the sole GOP senator to vote for Trump’s impeachment for abuse of presidential powers.
In March, Trump trolled Romney, describing him as a “terrible presidential candidate” and a “RINO,” or “Republican In Name Only.”
