Mitt Romney said on CNN on Wednesday that many MAGA supporters were completely out of touch with reality.
Disappointed with people
After Trump’s victory in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucus, Romney said that “a lot of people in this country are out of touch with reality and will accept anything Donald Trump tells them.”
The result in question
Trump took home 51% of the vote in Iowa. DeSantis took 21.2% and Nikki Haley earned 19.1%
The stats
According to exit polls, Trump performed particularly well with people without college degrees, those who consider themselves “very conservative,” and those who had decided their vote more than a month before the polls opened.
Concerning signs
Of more concern to Romney and other commentators was the fact that 69% of voters thought Biden did not legitimately win in 2020. Almost three-quarters of voters surveyed said they would consider Trump fit to be president even if he were convicted of a crime.
Romney’s disbelief
“You had a jury that said that Donald Trump raped a woman,” Romney said. “That doesn’t seem to be moving the needle.”
Conclusive evidence
In May, Trump was ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll $5 million in damages. Trump accused Carroll of lying when she revealed in 2019 that Trump had raped her. The judge and jury concluded that the rape had happened, and Trump’s comments were therefore defamatory.
Reputation ruined
Carroll is currently pursuing a second defamation case against Trump, in regards to separate comments he made calling her a liar. She testified that the comments had “shattered” her reputation, leading to many hateful messages from strangers online.
Brave new world
“There’s a lot of things about today’s electorate that I have a hard time understanding,” Romney admitted. The senator is not running for reelection.
Warning issued
In May 2023, after the jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation against Carroll, Romney said Trump “is just not suited to be president.”
Repeated warnings
Romney also criticized Trump during the 2016 election, calling him a “phony” and accusing him of “playing the American public for suckers.”
Enough is enough
“At some point,” Romney said in May 2023, “when the people who work with you, your cabinet secretaries, and juries conclude that you’ve done something severely wrong, it’s time for us to recognize that the great majority of those who’ve worked with him are right and [Trump’s] wrong.”
Deaf ears
Despite all this, Trump remains the clear favorite in the Republican presidential primary. While he did take a majority of the vote in Monday’s caucus, however, he earned far less than the 97% he earned in 2020’s primary.
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