Mitt Romney said Saturday that he could not yet commit to supporting Donald Trump's 2020 re-election campaign, making it clear that he intends to stake his claim as an independent voice for Utah.

"I will make that decision down the road," Romney, who is running for US Senate, said in an interview with CNN as he waited for his turn to speak at the Utah GOP convention where he was vying for his party's nomination. "As a person of political experience, if I endorse someone, I'll want to know what's in it for Utah and what help would he provide for us on key priorities in Utah."

"So I'm not a cheap date," he said.

Romney said he assumed there would be Republican contenders who will challenge Trump, but underscored, "I also assume that President Trump will be the nominee of our party in 2020."

As he has campaigned across Utah, Romney has pointed out that he largely agrees with Trump on policy but takes issue with some of his harsh rhetoric.

But he was a fierce critic of Trump during the primary phase of the 2016 presidential race, calling him out as an imposter and criticizing his harsh tone on immigrants from Mexico, and criticizing Trump's crude comments about women. </s> Mitt Romney won’t say whether he will support President Donald Trump for reelection in 2020.

The former Republican presidential nominee told reporters Saturday that he wants to see what the field of candidates looks like before making any commitment.

“In terms of what happens in 2020, we’re going to wait and see who runs,” he said backstage at the Utah Republican convention. “If I had to make that decision today, I’d be missing the opportunity to find out what they’re going to do for Utah.”

Romney is seeking Utah’s GOP nomination for Senate, but was forced into a primary race Saturday against state lawmaker Mike Kennedy.

He has said that he supports many of Trump’s policies but is also not afraid to criticize the president when necessary.

The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our Comment Policy before commenting. </s> Mitt Romney Willard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyTexas Democrats unveil 'path to victory' plan for 2020 Republicans grumble over Trump shifting military funds to wall Democrats walk tightrope in fight over Trump wall funds MORE says he is not ready to commit to endorsing President Trump Donald John TrumpNew working-age hires are mostly people of color for first time: analysis Kremlin: Reported US spy worked in Putin's office Trump's approval rating drops 6 points amid economic worries: poll MORE for reelection in 2020.

"I will make that decision down the road," Romney told CNN at the Utah GOP convention on Saturday. "As a person of political experience, if I endorse someone, I'll want to know what's in it for Utah and what help would he provide for us on key priorities in Utah."

"So I'm not a cheap date," he added.

The 2012 Republican presidential nominee is at the Utah convention to secure the party's nomination for Senate. Romney is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch Orrin Grant HatchTrump to award racing legend Roger Penske with Presidential Medal of Freedom Trump awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to economist, former Reagan adviser Arthur Laffer Second ex-Senate staffer charged in aiding doxxing of GOP senators MORE (R).

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Romney and Trump have a contentious history.

The former Massachusetts governor gave a speech in the waning days of the GOP primary in 2016 urging Republicans not to support Trump, arguing that he lacked the character needed for the presidency.

Still, the two seemed to mend fences after the election when Trump dined with Romney and was reportedly considering him to lead the State Department, a position which was eventually filled by Rex Tillerson Rex Wayne TillersonFox's Cavuto roasts Trump over criticism of network Ex-sycophants highlight the void of competence around Trump Trump says No. 2 State Dept. official could become next Russia envoy MORE.

The relationship soured again though after he was passed up for the job. Romney criticized Trump for his response to the violence in Charlottesville, Va., last year and other actions. Trump also encouraged Hatch repeatedly to run for reelection.

Romney announced his campaign for Senate earlier this year, with Hatch's endorsement.

"I have decided to run for United States Senate because I believe I can help bring Utah's values and Utah's lessons to Washington. Utah is a better model for Washington than Washington is for Utah," he said in a February campaign ad.

"Given all that America faces, we feel that this is the right time to serve our state and our country."

Trump endorsed Romney in February in a tweet, saying that he would make a "great senator." </s> Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's senior adviser and former campaign manager, publicly criticised the possibility of Mitt Romney becoming secretary of state on the morning political-show circuit on Sunday.

On ABC's "This Week," Conway told host Martha Raddatz that Romney had taken special steps during the presidential campaign to question Trump's character and intellect - criticism that she viewed as a major detriment, saying the primary quality of a secretary of state should be loyalty to the president.

"There was the 'Never Trump' movement and then there was Governor Mitt Romney," Conway said. "He went out of his way to hurt Donald Trump."

She added that it was unclear whether Romney had even voted for Trump.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and the 2012 GOP presidential candidate, was a fierce and vocal critic of Trump throughout the latter's campaign. In a memorable speech from March, Romney said Trump was "playing the members of the American public for suckers."

Still, the two met on Nov. 19 for more than an hour at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., where they had what Romney called a "far-reaching conversation."

"It went great," Trump said of the meeting.

Since that encounter, Romney's name has been floated as a potential secretary of state.

The day after that meeting, Conway simply described both men as accomplished job creators. However, on Thanksgiving, she took to Twitter to say that she was receiving a "deluge" of social media and private communications warning against picking Romney as secretary of state.

On Sunday, Raddatz asked why Conway, one of Trump's closest advisers, was motivated to publicly tweet about opposition to Romney when she had the president-elect's ear: Was it a reflection of Conway's opinion or had she been told by Trump to do so?

"I won’t discuss that," Conway said, adding that Trump was the only person with final say on his cabinet picks. "Whatever he decides will have my full support and respect, and he knows that."

However, she went out of her way to point out that Trump had won states that Republicans — including Romney in 2012 — had not won in years, such as Iowa and Pennsylvania.

"This is Trump’s party now, and he won states that Mitt Romney lost," she said. "... I don’t think a cost of admission for party unity has to be the secretary of state position."

Conway repeated the same sentiments on CNN's "State of the Union," saying the volume of messages she has received from Trump loyalists concerned about Romney was "breathtaking."

"It's just the backlash from the grass roots," Conway said. "People are saying they'll feel betrayed if Romney was chosen. We don't even know if Romney voted for Donald Trump. I think there are concerns.... You want a secretary of state who's loyal."

"State of the Union" host Dana Bash asked Conway whether she thought Romney would be loyal to Trump if selected.

"I would hope so," she said. "If President-elect Trump chooses Mitt Romney, that will have the full support and backing of all of us."

Conway's comments on Sunday's television shows bewildered some, who wondered why Conway seemed to be so publicly campaigning against Romney.

Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist and political commentator who also was one of Trump's harshest critics during the campaign, tweeted that she was astounded by Conway's comments, especially since Conway "has the ability to tell Trump privately."

Conway responded to Navarro by saying that she had told Trump privately, as well.

On Sunday, Conway also derided plans by Hillary Clinton's campaign to participate in an election recount effort in Wisconsin initiated by Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

On "State of the Union," Conway said Trump was not focused on prosecuting Clinton but wouldn't rule it out — which she said indicated that Trump was being "incredibly gracious and magnanimous" to Clinton.

Though the two issues are neither related nor causal, Conway on "This Week" linked Trump's latest public comments about not pursuing a prosecution of Clinton to the Clinton campaign's decision to join the recount effort.

"But this is how the president-elect feels at this moment about Hillary Clinton," Conway told Raddatz. "I would say, in response that, I guess her attitude toward that is to have her counsel, Mark Elias, go and join this ridiculously fantastical recount that Jill Stein is engaging in Wisconsin and perhaps elsewhere.

"So you've got the President-elect Donald Trump being quite magnanimous to Hillary Clinton and you've got her responding with joining into this recount."

Conway told Raddatz that she was confident the recount would not change the election results in Wisconsin, where Stein received 33,000 votes.

"33,000 votes is like the number of people who tailgate at a Packers game," Conway said. "It is not a serious effort to change the election results."

On "Fox News Sunday," the chairman of the Republican National Committee also criticized the recount effort in Wisconsin as "a total waste of everybody's time."

"This is a fundraising, notoriety-driven fraud by someone who won 33,000 votes in Wisconsin to President-elect Trump, who won 1.4 million," Reince Priebus said. "So, here, we have a person perpetrating a fundraising scheme that has lost over 1.35 million votes in Wisconsin attempting to undo a 28,000-vote lead. It's never going to happen. It's a total waste of everybody's time." </s> New York (CNN) President-elect Donald Trump will meet this weekend with one of his fiercest critics: 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, a senior Republican source told CNN on Thursday.

The two men are set to meet this weekend to discuss "governing moving forward" and potentially a role for Romney in Trump's Cabinet, the source said.

The source declined to specify for which Cabinet positions Romney is under consideration.

The meeting is the latest in a series of Trump's conversations and encounters with Republicans who did not support his candidacy in an effort to reunite the GOP following a divisive election that fractured party leaders past the Republican primary and into the general election.

It also comes as Trump has a jam-packed schedule Thursday and the President-elect's team looks to tamp down reports of disarray and infighting within the transition effort, which has been slow to ramp up following Trump's shocking upset victory last week.

A Romney appointment would be a startling shift in the two men's relationship.

Trump, who endorsed Romney in 2012, repeatedly slammed the former GOP standard bearer during his ultimately successful bid for the a Republican nomination for his defeat to President Barack Obama, describing him in characteristically colorful terms as a failure. Romney returned fire, repeatedly and forcefully arguing that Trump was not qualified to serve as commander-in-chief.

In an eviscerating speech last March, before Trump clinched the Republican nomination, Romney slammed Trump as a "con man," a "phony" and "a fraud."

Romney refused to endorse Trump in the general election. He argued In favor of allowing the Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson onto the debate stage, but did not endorse him either.

Romney also actively sought to recruit a third-party candidate to carry the conservative banner into the 2016 general election and continued to level heated criticism against Trump in the general election.

In a June interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Romney warned that Trump's presidency could usher in "trickle-down racism."

Romney and Trump's meeting will come a week after Romney called to congratulate Trump on his victory, a call Trump tweeted was "very nice!"

Packed schedule to show transition is on track

Trump is meeting Thursday with more than a half-dozen potential candidates for top administration posts, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Trump's transition spokesmen also announced Thursday he will name members of the so-called "landing team" of transition officials to work with US officials at the departments of State, Defense Justice and the the National Security Council.

Concerns about the slow pace of the transition effort have grown in recent days as US officials at various agencies said they had still not yet established contact with the Trump transition team.

Following the national security landing team announcement Friday, the transition team will also announce early next week the names of individuals who will lead the transition with economic agencies and domestic policy agencies and groups, RNC communications director Sean Spicer said on a conference call with reporters Thursday.

In the eight days since Trump's victory, the President-elect replaced New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as chairman of the transition with Vice President-elect Mike Pence and a slew of transition officials who worked under Christie were subsequently booted from the transition effort.

Trump is also scheduled to meet with his transition team for two hours on Friday to discuss their progress and go over potential appointments, Trump spokesman Jason Miller said Thursday.

"My transition team, which is working long hours and doing a fantastic job, will be seeing many great candidates today. #MAGA," Trump tweeted.

Miller declined Thursday to provide a timetable for cabinet appointments, stressing that the focus is on "getting it right," rather than an "arbitrary timetable," echoing the comments of senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway.

"In the words of Vice President Biden just yesterday after meeting with Mr. Pence, nobody should expect the government to be formed overnight," Conway said Thursday morning on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "Nobody is in a rush to do the wrong thing."

Trump will seek ideas on his administration from nine "top shelf people" he is set to meet with Thursday at Trump Tower, some of whom Miller said are "up for cabinet positions" -- though he did not specify which ones.

Trump has announced RNC chairman Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff and his campaign CEO Steve Bannon as chief strategist and senior counselor.

As he focuses on filling key national security posts, Trump will seek the counsel of 93-year-old former Secretary of State Kissinger. Trump met with Kissinger for a private meeting in May, but the hawkish former secretary of state has also advised Trump's presidential rival Hillary Clinton, who said she "relied on his counsel" during her time helming the State Department.

Trump will also meet with Nikki Haley, the South Carolina governor who was deeply critical of Trump during the Republican primary, who is under consideration for the secretary of state post and other cabinet positions, according to a transition source.

And continuing with the national security bend of the day, Trump will also meet with Adm. Mike Rogers, the current director of the National Security Agency, and Gen Jack Keane, a retired four star general who advised Clinton in recent years.

The President-elect will also meet with a pair of Fortune 500 CEOs, Oracle's Safra Catz and FedEx's Fred Smith, as well as Cincinnati Mayor Ken Blackwell and Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling, who is under consideration to helm the Treasury Department.

Trump is also set to meet Thursday in New York with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the first foreign head of state Trump will have met with in person since becoming president-elect.

The Japanese prime minister is set to deliver remarks to the press following the meeting, and his remarks will be an important indication of how the US-Japan relationship will unfold under a Trump administration.

On the stump, Trump repeatedly argued that Japan should pay a larger share of the costs for US military bases on its soil and even suggested the country should shoulder a greater burden of its defense against the aggressive actions of North Korea and provocations from China. </s> On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld (R) announced he is running for president in 2020 as a Republican.

Weld said, “I’m announcing that I’m running for president of the United States as a Republican against President Trump in 2020. … I really think if we have six more years of the same stuff we’ve had out of the White House the last two years, that would be a political tragedy, and I would fear for the republic. So, I would be ashamed of myself if I didn’t raise my hand and run.”

Weld later stated that he doesn’t think he would run as an independent if he doesn’t win the Republican nomination. He added, “I could not support Donald Trump for president. I’m not saying I would ever endorse a Democrat in this race, but I could not support the president.” </s> Republicans and top Donald Trump allies have cast doubt over Mitt Romney being selected as secretary of state.

Mitt Romney, the former presidential candidate who named Mr Trump a “fraud” and a “phony” in March, had a "far-reaching" conversation with Mr Trump last weekend, but has yet to be offered a role.

The former Massachusetts governor also said Mr Trump’s promises were “as worthless as a degree from Trump University”.

Mr Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway showed her displeasure at the idea in a series of tweets and named more “loyal” candidates for the job including Henry Kissinger, the hawkish secretary of state in the 1970s, and George Schultz, who worked for Ronald Reagan.

She said they flew around the world less, counseled the president closer to home and were loyal, which made “a good checklist”.

She also said she had received a “deluge” of private social media communications warning her against Mr Romney. She linked to a Politico article, with the headline “Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as secretary of state.”

The article quoted former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former house speaker Newt Gingrich, who accused Mr Romney of trying to “derail” the president-elect during the campaign trail.

“It’s not about that I don’t care for Mitt personally, but I’m still very unhappy that Mitt did everything he could to derail Donald Trump,” Mr Huckabee told Fox News.

“He didn’t just go after him from a standpoint of saying I disagree with his policy on immigration or I disagree with his policy on taxes. He attacked him on a personal level about his character, integrity, his honour.”

Yet Mr Trump's vice president-elect, Mike Pence, recently confirmed that Mr Romney was a top pick for the job, highlighting a potential clash amid the transition team.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is also reportedly being considered for the role, after he turned down the offer of attorney general, but other names may be added to the list as all parties mull the decisions over Thanksgiving.

Mr Trump himself had attacked Mr Romney, calling him a “choke artist” who had “begged” him for money when he was running for president.

Yet the possible new secretary of state tweeted an olive branch after the election, saying: “Best wishes for our duly elected president: May his victory speech be his guide and preserving the Republic his aim.”

Their meeting in New Jersey on Saturday was described by officials as “extremely positive and productive”.

This week Mr Trump made several key appointments including billionaire, anti-gay activist Betsy DeVos as education secretary and offered the role of US housing and urban development secretary to retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. </s> Welcome to Mic’s daily read on Donald Trump’s America. Want to receive this as a daily email in your inbox? Subscribe here.

Regardless of how Republicans fare in the 2018 elections, President Donald Trump can count out two of his biggest GOP critics — Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). The two are not seeking re-election, so will no longer be causing trouble for Trump on Capitol Hill.

Meanwhile, speculation is swirling that former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will run for Sen. Orrin Hatch’s seat in Utah. It’s believed that if he were to run, Romney would likely cruise to victory. Romney has been a critic of Trump for years, going back to 2015 when Trump first announced his presidential bid.

Romney called Trump a “phony” in a March 2016 speech where he encouraged Republican voters to back Ohio Gov. John Kasich or Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for the presidency. Since then, Romney has implicitly and explicitly criticized Trump’s most controversial decisions, like when he supported Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore, or equivocated white supremacists and counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Romney would be positioned to assume the anti-Trump mantle, to a degree. But when it comes to policy that impacts Americans, the former Massachusetts governor would likely support Trump’s agenda.

Corker and Flake, for all their criticism of Trump, were largely reliable supporters of Trump’s 2017 agenda. Both repeatedly supported failed Affordable Care Act repeal efforts, and voted for the GOP tax plan. Corker even said he would vote “no” — then controversially changed his vote without having his concerns addressed.

Romney would likely be no different if he were to make it to the Hill. In 2012, he proposed cutting the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25%. The recently passed GOP tax plan cut the rate to 20%, the consensus figure among Republicans after months of internal debate. Romney stood behind a podium during his 2012 presidential campaign and said he would “repeal and replace Obamacare,” one of the earliest and most high-profile uses of the now-standard GOP slogan.

Furthermore, Romney has criticized Trump as a private citizen, not as a pro-business Republican senator from a deep red state. That criticism has come after some of Trump’s most controversial actions were widely rejected by many Republicans — including Hatch, who has not supported Trump’s most controversial statements, but praises him overall.

In 2017, Trump and Republicans implemented policies and pushed through appointees that made for a substantial year of reshaping the direction in which the United States is headed. The GOP agenda remains highly unpopular, raising concerns for Republicans that they could see major electoral losses in 2018.

Romney may become the next member prominent senator to criticize Trump, but he likely wouldn’t be very different in terms of voting. And his election in Utah would be far from a surprise in what will be a tumultuous election year.

Today’s question: How important do you think Romney’s election would be to the Senate?

Please email us at trumpsamerica@mic.com with your thoughts.

Shutdown negotiations: House and Senate leaders are meeting with Trump on Wednesday to discuss how to avert a government shutdown. Democrats are being more staunch in their demands that the deal to fund the government past Jan. 19 includes protections for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Democrats also want higher domestic spending.

A top Trump adviser said Tuesday the president will demand border wall funding in exchange for those protections — which Democrats will not support — in a move to please his base. Democratic votes will be needed in the Senate, and maybe the House, to keep the government open.

Trump tweets: The president tweeted Tuesday evening that he will announce the “most dishonest and corrupt media awards” at 5 p.m. Monday. Mark your calendars.

Trump also said he has a “much bigger and more powerful” nuclear button than North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who had bragged in his new year’s address of having a nuclear button on his desk.

North Korea: Despite the aggressive tweeting, North Korea has reopened a cross-border hotline with South Korea after two years. The move signals the two countries may begin serious talks.

Two women: Today on NBC is now hosted by two women. Hoda Kotb joined Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday as a permanent co-host following the firing of longtime host Matt Lauer over sexual assault allegations.

Sexual harassment: Vice Media placed two of its top executives on leave following reports they sexually harassed employees.

Israel: Trump threatened to cut off $300 million in annual funding the United States provides to the Palestinian Authority following criticism of Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Palestinians responded that they are “not for sale.”

Fewer international students: Students from around the world are coming to universities in the United States in smaller numbers, driving academic cuts, in part because of tighter U.S. immigration policies.

Another GOP resignation: Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) will not seek re-election. Trump carried his district by 42 points in 2016.

Sanctuary cities: The acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said politicians who support sanctuary city policies should be charged with crimes.

Trump’s tweeting about launching a nuclear weapon has renewed calls for his impeachment. But it’s important to remember why that’s so unlikely. Mic’s Emily Singer breaks it down. Click or tap below to check it out. </s> Mitt Romney was forced Saturday into a Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Utah as he looks to restart his political career by replacing long-serving Sen. Orrin Hatch.

Romney remains the heavy favorite overall to win the Senate seat in November. But if he had won the votes of a majority of the far-right leaning party delegates at the state GOP convention Saturday, he would have bypassed a primary altogether.

Instead, he was edged out by state lawmaker Mike Kennedy, who got 51 percent of the vote to Romney's 49 percent.

Voters will decide between the two in a June 26 primary. Romney previously secured his spot on the ballot by gathering signatures.

Romney went up against 11 other candidates at the convention, mostly political newcomers who questioned Romney's criticism of President Donald Trump and the depth of his ties to Utah.

Kennedy, a doctor and lawyer, got big applause from the crowd as he railed against the national debt, Common Core education standards and former President Barack Obama's health care law.

Romney, 71, asked for delegates' votes after spending two months on the campaign trail visiting dairy farms, taking selfies with college students and making stump speeches in small towns.

After his failed 2012 presidential campaign, he moved to Utah, where he is also known for his role in the 2002 Winter Olympics and for becoming the first Mormon presidential nominee of a major political party.

He's worked to keep the focus on state issues rather than his history of well-documented feuds with Trump, whom he called a "con-man" and a phony during the 2016 race. Trump fired back that Romney "choked like a dog" during his own White House run.

But the two men have shown signs of making peace, and Romney has accepted Trump's endorsement.
Mitt Romney says that he won't commit to supporting Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.