Mitt Romney “feels he’s putting country over party” in his outspoken opposition to Donald Trump, his former top political adviser says.
Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, has refused to support Trump despite his status as the party’s presumptive nominee. At a retreat for GOP fund-raisers over the weekend and in an interview with CNN, Romney warned that Trump will lead to “trickle-down racism” in the U.S. and he criticized fellow Republicans who didn’t do more to stop Trump’s rise in the GOP.
Beth Myers, who served as senior adviser to Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign and chief of staff during his years as Massachusetts governor, said that Romney’s opposition to Trump’s candidacy is a matter of conscience.
“I talked to him at length about it and I’m very comfortable with his position,” Myers told David Axelrod on “The Axe Files,” a podcast produced by CNN and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. “He feels he’s putting country over party and that to me makes sense. He couldn’t do it any other way and put his head on a pillow at night.”
Myers, a veteran of three decades in Republican politics, took a more nuanced position on Trump’s candidacy.
“He clearly reflects the voters who voted in the Republican primaries. He showed strongly in many many states and the voters were heard,” she said. “Does he reflect my visions of America and the Republican party? No.”
When asked if she felt Trump is equipped to be president, Myers took a long pause.
“Yes,” she answered, adding, “I think he’s a very different candidate and we will see.”
To hear the whole conversation with Myers, which also touched on how she got her first campaign job while working at a bar, her time with Karl Rove in Texas, and much more, click on http://podcast.cnn.com. To get “The Axe Files” podcast every week, subscribe at http://itunes.com/theaxefiles.