Sen.-elect Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is ready to cooperate with President Trump, and may even be a “partner” for Trump’s agenda despite his loud and public stance against the president during the 2016 election.
Romney made his debut on Capitol Hill Tuesday with much attention from all corners, due largely to his roller-coaster relationship with the president. While he batted questions throughout, including Trump-related matters, Republicans believe he will not be an obstructionist of Trump’s agenda and will play a meaningful role in the next two years.
“If they’re working on issues of mutual interest … I think [Trump] will find him to be an excellent partner for the president in that way,” said one source with knowledge of Romney’s thinking.
It wasn’t always clear how Romney would adjust to Trump’s brash style after winning his easy race to represent Utah in the Senate this year. In just the last six years, Trump endorsed Romney’s 2012 bid for the White House, but the two sniped at each other in 2016, and then Trump considered Romney for secretary of state.
Trump also endorsed Romney’s Senate bid this year to replace Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a Trump ally, and one Romney ally said the two have a “cordial relationship” at the moment.
“Mitt will find a way to convey his issues discreetly. Mitt’s not out there to upstage the president. He’s not out there to make the president look bad,” said the source familiar with Romney’s thinking. “He will understand how to make his views heard in a way that will be impactful and discreet. That’s not to say he won’t go out there and express his view publicly, but Mitt’s a pretty smart guy. He’s pretty understanding of how to get things done and so he will do it in a way that is effective.”
Romney has already broken with the president on two high-profile occasions in just the last two weeks. Before Election Day, he rejected the president’s complaint that the “fake news” media is the “enemy of the people,” and later called for the Mueller investigation to proceed unimpeded after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s firing.
But Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, argued that he doesn’t expect major problems between the two men.
“He’ll have to calibrate that himself. Obviously, we’re all responsible for our own conduct, but I don’t anticipate any problems,” Cornyn said, noting that Romney is far from the only Senate Republican who has had issues with the president. “He’s not the only one.”
Cornyn, however, does not believe Romney will be a thorn in the side of Trump like Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who has been a nonstop critic of the president.
“No, no,” Cornyn said. “Not at all.”
Romney appeared in the Capitol on Thursday to find reporters waiting for him outside his new working quarters — the basement of a Senate office building — and was immediately quizzed about whether Robert Whitaker, the acting attorney general, should recuse himself from the Mueller investigation. But Romney said today wasn’t his day to answer policy questions.
“Today is an orientation day, and I’m getting oriented,” Romney said.
Romney comes in as a freshman, but his 2012 presidential campaign and his roles as governor and business leader are setting high expectations for him among other Republicans who think he’ll quickly climb the ranks in the Senate.
“My expectation is that he’ll be what he always has been: very successful,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who anticipates Romney to take an active role in the foreign policy and national security arenas, both of which the senator-elect expressed interest in over the past decade.
“He’ll have a high national profile, so clearly he’ll have an opportunity early in his career here to voice his opinion on issues and be heard,” Rubio said.
“High. High and hopeful,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said of Romney’s expectations. “I think he’s got a lot to bring to the body and lot of experience to share with the Senate and the country. I’m excited about him getting here — sooner rather than later.”
During his campaign, Romney spoke consistently about three issues: the national debt, immigration, and deregulation. He also has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s foreign policy, leading some to believe he is angling for a spot on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Committee assignments will not be doled out until the Florida Senate contest is concluded and the final member count for each party is finalized.
“He comes at a good time, when geopolitics is changing. We’re clearly in a new geopolitical era,” Rubio said. “He comes at a time when we need new voices and new thinkers about all of that and what our foreign policy should look like.”
One minor worry for allies of the former Massachusetts governor is the transition to Senate life after a long tenure as a chief executive. Romney also ran the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City and founded Bain Capital, leading some close to the former governor that there could be bumps in the road as he gets used to being 1 of 100 rather the top dog.
“Gov. Romney, at heart, is an enormously successful chief executive. This is a different role; I think it will take some adjustment,” said Ryan Williams, Romney’s spokesperson on his 2012 campaign. “I think his talents lie in managing and running a large organization, but he’ll have to adapt at being a legislator. He’s never been a legislator before.”
On Tuesday, Romney seemed ready to try out his new role.
“Here we go,” Romney said with a laugh as the press readied to question him during Senate votes.
