Twitter | Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney Marches in Black Lives Matter Protest in Honor of George Floyd; George W. Bush, Mitt Romney Won’t Support Trump Reelection.
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney took to the streets on Sunday to march in a Washington, DC protest. His actions mark a stark contrast to other GOP lawmakers who continue to rally behind President Donald Trump’s militarized approach to the protests.
Romney spoke to the Washington Post about why he chose to participate. He said he wanted “to make sure that people understand that black lives matter.” Romney later tweeted a photo of himself with the caption, “Black Lives Matter.” He is the first GOP figure to do so.
Black Lives Matter. pic.twitter.com/JpXUFlxH2J
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) June 7, 2020
An aide to Romney said that his choice to join the protest was “spontaneous.” He chanced upon a group of 1,000 to 1,500 evangelicals from the DC area and joined them in marching for an hour and a half.
Romney also told the Post that he wanted to bring awareness to the need to “end violence and brutality.”
“Peaceful protests underscore the urgency of addressing injustices,” said Romney. “But violence drowns the message of the protesters and mocks the principles of justice.”
Related: Protests Cause Massive Shift in Public Opinion, Republican Strategists Worried
Although George W. Bush said in 2009 that he wouldn’t play politics anymore, he’s seemingly changed his tune since then.
On Saturday, the New York Times reported that both George W. Bush and Senator Mitt Romney will be taking a stand against the Trump presidency.
“Former President George W. Bush won’t support the reelection of Trump, and Jeb Bush isn’t sure how he’ll vote, say people familiar with their thinking,” reported the New York Times.
In addition, they wrote, “Senator Mitt Romney of Utah won’t back Trump and is deliberating whether to again write in his wife, Ann, or cast another ballot this November. And Cindy McCain, the widow of Senator John McCain, is almost certain to support Biden but is unsure how public to be about it because one of her sons is eyeing a run for office.”
This isn’t the first time that Bush has sided against Trump. In October 2017, Bush made his thoughts known in a scathing assessment of Trump and his policies.
“We have seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty,” Bush said, without naming Trump. “We’ve seen nationalism distorted into nativism. Forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America.”
“Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children,” Bush said. “The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them.”
Trump, being one who can’t let the smallest criticism slide, responded on Twitter:
“Oh, by the way, I appreciate the message from former President Bush, but where was he during impeachment calling for putting partisanship aside.” Trump wrote. “He was nowhere to be found in speaking up against the greatest Hoax in American history!”
If even more republicans continue to side against Trump, he might want to make sure he has a really good tax lawyer handy.
Related: Donald Trump May Have Committed Felony Voter Fraud in Florida
