Sen. Mitt Romney encouraged President Trump to bring in new people to help him lead the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“In a setting like this, had I been the president of the United States, I’d say, ‘You know what? I need some real experts in crisis management … people who have really dealt with this more than I have,’” Romney said Tuesday at a virtual forum with the Georgetown Institute of Politics.
“The key in leadership is recognizing you’re not the smartest guy in the room,” he added, paraphrasing former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Romney recommended former GOP New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who led the state through the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, as someone Trump could call on.
The Utah senator chided the federal government for its slow start to coronavirus testing and securing personal protective equipment, but said the Trump administration was not solely to blame for that.
Romney was the only Republican senator not asked to join Trump’s task force on reopening the economy after the pandemic begins to subside. Trump said earlier this month he had excluded him from the task force because he holds a grudge against Romney, who was the only Republican to vote to convict the president during his impeachment trial.
“I don’t really want his advice,” Trump said.
