Mitt Romney offered new criticism of Donald Trump in a Sunday interview, calling the current GOP front-runner a hypocrite for telling millions of his supporters over the past few months that he was self-funding his campaign despite plans to change that soon.
The 2012 GOP presidential nominee responded to a new report that found the self-funded billionaire has plans to abandon his pledge to use his personal money to fund his campaign with donor support if he wins the nomination.
“It’s amazing, isn’t, it that all during the primary he has criticized his opponents by saying he’s self-funding,” Romney told CNN’s Dana Bash. “Well, now we learn that, well, he’s not really planning on self-funding, he’s only been loaning money to his campaign, which he can get back if he’s the general election nominee. It’s a form of hypocrisy.”
Numbers released in late January indicate Trump has spent $24 million. About $17.5 million he loaned his campaign.
Romney said this is another reason he could not sit on the sidelines of the race and had to speak out against statements made by the business mogul. While the former Massachusetts governor said he was unsure how much of an effect his comments will have on the public, he cited his family as a major reason for not staying quiet.
“I don’t know what impact these things have politically, but I do know that when my grandkids say ‘what did you do to stop Donald Trump,’ I wanted to be able to say something,” Romney said.
Romney dismissed claims he represents the Republican establishment.
“I think everybody that somebody is opposed to becomes establishment. The term anti-establishment is a very popular term, so I don’t call myself establishment,” Romeny explained. “I don’t think others do either that want to have the support of fellow Republicans. They may say they’re mainstream and conservative, but Donald Trump is not conservative in any sense of the word.”
