When it was announced that Donald Trump was considering former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as his Secretary of State, much of the media were left scratching their heads. Romney was outspoken in his opposition to Trump during the campaign, which is apparently part of a plan to embarrass him while he waits for the decision on who will lead the State Department.
Trump on Romney
In his first public comments about the 2016 election, Mitt Romney spoke at the Hinckley Institute in Utah and didn't hold back his thoughts of Donald Trump. Referring to the new president-elect as a "fraud," Romney accused Trump of using his multiple bankruptcies to hurt small business owners and their workers, while stating, "A business genius he is not." The job of Secretary of State is also an odd choice, considering the stark differences both men have when it comes to U.S.
relations with Russia. While Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, Romney has referred to Russia as the United States' "number one geopolitical foe." As reported by Mediaite on November 27, Republican strategist Ana Navarro elaborated on the situation.
Ana Navarro: Conway's 'Public Thrashing' of Romney 'Coordinated Trump Strategy' to Put Him in His Place https://t.co/Oas8jzpMMh (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/2KkgEolshm
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) November 27, 2016
"It is pretty amazing to see the public airing of grievances. It tells me he is not going to be a cabinet pick because they have been putting him in his place," Navarro said during an interview on CNN. Going further, Navarro accused Donald Trump and his transition team of setting up Mitt Romney just to take a beating, stating, "They have been punishing him."
Trump wants Romney to publicly apologize in exchange for Secretary of State job: report https://t.co/XrGNmZAPrT pic.twitter.com/hdSYDFSD8B
— The Hill (@thehill) November 25, 2016
Navarro continued, pointing to recent public comments made by former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, Rudy Giuliani, and Trump supporter Newt Gingrich, who have all come out to oppose Romney.
"I think this kind of public thrashing, this tar and feather, of a possible cabinet pick is unseemly," Navarro said.
(Navarro's comments start at 1:30 in the above video)
Not stopping there, Navarro accused the aforementioned individuals of taking orders from the former host of "The Apprentice," who is allegedly setting Romney up to be embarrassed.
Navarro said she found it hard to believe that the there would be such public opposition "without it being a coordinated Trump strategy to put Mitt Romney in his place."
Trump's revenge
It was reported earlier this week that Donald Trump was holding an ultimatum over Romney's head, letting him known that in order for him to become the next Secretary of State, a public apology would have to be made. The president-elect is expected to make his decision within the next few weeks, before being sworn in as president on January 20.