He supported impeachment and thinks President Trump has killed the old-growth roots of the GOP, but Sen. Mitt Romney can’t shake the feeling that a second Trump term is likely.
“I think it is likely that the incumbent will win,” the Utah senator and 2012 Republican presidential nominee said.
Romney noted that it’s been 28 years since an incumbent lost reelection, and there is “great power” in being an incumbent, especially when it comes to getting on TV during the coronavirus crisis. And he told Georgetown University students that the economy should pop once the virus passes and help Trump.
Romney and Trump have significant differences, and Romney expressed concerns that the base Trump has built isn’t one that will sustain the GOP after he leaves office. Trump, meanwhile, holds a giant grudge against Romney for being the lone Republican backing impeachment.
— Georgetown Politics (@GUPolitics) April 28, 2020
“I think it’s pretty much a jump ball,” Romney said of the election, but added, “I think I’d give the advantage to the incumbent, President Trump, I think it’s more likely he gets reelected.”
In the online discussion with the school’s Institute of Politics and Public Service at the McCourt School of Public Policy, he also dismissed the polls showing Joe Biden leading in some key swing states.
Speaking from the knowledge of his own 2012 race, he said, “We’re far, far, far away from November in political life.”
During the session, Romney was both serious (in talking about the coronavirus and the need for leadership out of the White House) and at times funny — such as when he talked about the biggest election ever.
“Without question, the most important election of our lifetime was in 2012,” he said, laughing. “Just kidding.”
