West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, an excellent pal of Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, introduced on Friday morning he wouldn’t run for president. The identical day, Romney was shocked to listen to the information throughout a press convention at a passport truthful in Salt Lake Metropolis.
“Did he say that?” Romney requested, earlier than joking that Manchin would possibly change his thoughts. Earlier within the week, Manchin floated the thought of Romney as his decide for vp. However the next day, Romney stated he’s “not going to run for president” in 2024, and particularly not as Manchin’s vp, because the Deseret Information beforehand reported.
When the Deseret Information requested Romney who his very best third-party candidate can be to run towards probably 2024 presidential candidates President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, he stated, “Any Republican aside from President Trump can be an important candidate for me.”
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Romney preferred GOP presidential candidates — besides Trump and Ramaswamy
“There are a selection of people that ran for president within the Republican major. I might have voted for all of them, aside from maybe Vivek Ramaswamy, and would have been pleased to see them lead our celebration,” the Utah senator stated. He stated he feels the identical about a number of Republican governors and senators.
“I simply assume that within the function of president, you need somebody of judgment and capability, but additionally somebody of character, as a result of the character of the person who leads the nation will assist form the character of the complete nation,” Romney stated. “President Trump, aside from the lawsuits which have concluded, and from what we already find out about him, has a deficit of character that has a major influence on our youngsters and on the nationwide psyche.”
A New York decide Friday ordered Trump and his firm to pay $355 million in damages. This ruling, which additionally barred Trump from serving on the board of any New York firm, comes after a three-month-long civil fraud trial over allegations that his firm’s monetary statements have been exaggerated and fraudulent.
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Trump has been indicted 4 instances and faces different prison costs associated to hush-money funds, withholding categorised paperwork after leaving workplace and making an attempt to overturn the 2020 election consequence.
“The authorized challenges that former President Trump has will work themselves out within the courts,” Romney stated, including, “I’m certain he’ll enchantment at nice size.”
Romney reiterated his place: “Some would possibly name me old school, however for me, I draw the road at sexual assault after I take into consideration who I need to have as president of the USA,” he stated, associated to a civil case towards Trump introduced by author E. Jean Carroll, by which a jury found Trump liable for defaming and sexually abusing her.
He added that whereas he doesn’t help Trump, he agrees with him on many insurance policies.
“I voted with him continuously when he was president and I used to be serving within the Senate, truly extra continuously than many, many others,” Romney stated. “However on a matter of character, in my opinion, he isn’t the form of particular person who you need to have because the consultant of the best nation on Earth.”
Romney stated he didn’t know who he was going to vote for within the presidential election this 12 months. Beforehand, he voted for his spouse, Ann, he stated, principally as a result of they lived in Utah, a deeply crimson state. “Have been we in “Georgia or Michigan or no matter, I don’t know fairly what I’d do.”
Romney on the loss of life of Alexei Navalny
Through the press convention, Romney was requested for his response to information of the loss of life of Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny, who died in jail on Friday.
Navalny had been a staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“That is one other day the place we underscore the truth that Vladimir Putin is just not an excellent man, that he’s an evil man,” stated Romney. “Not solely did he brutally assault a sovereign nation, Ukraine, and take a look at going into its capital and take over the nation, however he additionally brutally murders folks inside his personal nation.”
Romney remarked on what number of of Putin’s opponents have met with an early loss of life, together with Navalny.
“It’s an outrage that the world doesn’t acknowledge that Vladimir Putin is a really unhealthy individual. And I’m proud to be in a nation the place we’ve got disagreements, however the place we respect each other, respect the rule of regulation, and don’t enable the form of brutality that you just’re seeing by the hands of Vladimir Putin.”
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