Mitt Romney, one of President-elect Trump’s remaining candidates for secretary of state, called his Tuesday dinner with Trump and incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus “engaging” and “enlightening,” during an informal press conference following the meeting.
“The last few weeks he’s been carrying out a transition effort and I have to tell you I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen in the transition effort. The people he’s selected as members of his Cabinet are solid, effective, capable people,” Romney told members of the press Tuesday evening in New York City.
The 2012 Republican presidential nominee praised Trump’s professionalism in what may be an attempt by Romney to make up for comments on the campaign trail earlier this year bashing the billionaire businessman as a man whose leadership would trigger “trickle-down racism.”
“I don’t want to see a president of the United States saying things which change the character of the generations of Americans that are following,” Romney told CNN in June. “Presidents have an impact on the nature of our nation, and trickle-down racism and trickle-down bigotry and trickle-down misogyny — all of these things are extraordinarily dangerous to the heart and character of America.”
Romney’s tone on Tuesday, three weeks to the day since Trump surprised pollsters by winning the electoral vote, was one of optimism and hope.
“What I’ve seen through these discussions I’ve had with President-elect Trump, as well as what we’ve seen in his speech at the night of his victory — as well as the people he’s selected as part of his transition — all of those things combined give me increasing hope that President-elect Trump is the very man who can lead us to that better future,” Romney added, though not hitting on whether he is still in the running for State.
Romney praised some of Trump’s recent appointments, including South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Georgia Rep. Tom Price, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions and Betsy Devos, but did not reference those he is up against for State secretary. The former Massachusetts governor is up against a handful of men for the State appointment, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former CIA Director General David Petraeus.
Some of Trump’s top advisers – Kellyanne Conway and Newt Gingrich – have publicly decried Romney for refusing to wholeheartedly support the GOP nominee before the election and his about-face since Republicans won back the White House.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Conway had said a “number of people” would feel “betrayed” if Trump selected Romney for a coveted Cabinet position because the 2012 GOP presidential nominee attacked Trump throughout the election.
The Trump campaign will make an announcement early Wednesday morning about Trump’s Cabinet, Trump aide Kellyanne Conway told reporters Tuesday evening. The announcement will happen at 6:30 a.m. and could be in regards to the coveted State slot.
