One’s of Donald Trump’s top aides joined a number of Trump loyalists Sunday in urging the president-elect not to appoint Mitt Romney as secretary of state, questioning Romney’s loyalty and experience.
“I think there are concerns that those of us who are loyal have,” Kellyanne Conway, senior adviser to Trump, said on CNN’s State of the Union. “You want a secretary of state who is loyal to the president and the president’s vision of the world.”
Romney and Trump traded barbs throughout the election campaign. Trump loyalists, including former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, have expressed concern about appointing Romney to a Cabinet position considering the pair’s rocky past.
Conway echoed their sentiments Sunday.
“We don’t even know if Mitt Romney voted for Donald Trump,” she said. “I’m all for party unity but I’m not sure that we have to pay for that with the secretary of state position.”
Conway added that a growing number of Trump supporters would see Romney’s appointment as a betrayal.
“It’s just breathtaking in scope and intensity the type of messages I’ve received from all over the country … I’m hearing from people who say, ‘my parents died penniless but I gave $216 to Donald Trump’s campaign and I would feel betrayed,'” she said. “You have people saying, ‘I thought we got rid of this type.'”
She also questioned Romney’s experience.
“Governor Romney in the last four years, has he been around the globe doing something on behalf of the United States of which we’re unaware?” Conway said. “Did he go and intervene in Syria where they’re having a massive humanitarian crisis?”
Trump is also considering former New York mayor and loyalist Rudy Giuliani for secretary of state.
