--- title: Mitt Romney: Anti-Trump Forces Hope for Independent Run description: A leader in the #NeverTrump movement met with Mitt Romney this week to try to persuade him to enter the presidential race as an independent canonical: https://time.com/4322090/never-trump-mitt-romney-independent-candidate/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-07T15:51:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:01.610Z article:section: Politics og:title: Anti-Trump Forces Hope to Draft Mitt Romney og:description: Romney met with a #NeverTrump leader to discuss the idea of an independent run og:url: https://time.com/4322090/never-trump-mitt-romney-independent-candidate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f8275ca5b83a416/698892502dce014fca9e8fa8/donald-trump-mitt-romney.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Former Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney Interview og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Anti-Trump Forces Hope to Draft Mitt Romney twitter:description: Romney met with a #NeverTrump leader to discuss the idea of an independent run twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f8275ca5b83a416/698892502dce014fca9e8fa8/donald-trump-mitt-romney.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Anti-Donald Trump Forces Hope to Draft Mitt Romney > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ab22f84b-254b-4902-9da6-f57d8c55989a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A More "Presidentially Correct" Trump? [Watch (HLS stream): A More "Presidentially Correct" Trump?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Jq72wMzX.m3u8) (1:38)  _Published 2016-05-05. We're tracking Trump statements with Time's Presidential-o-Meter to see how "Presidentially Correct" he can sound._  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 7, 2016 3:51 PM UTC  Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and former 2012 Republican presidential nominee, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, on March 4. Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and former 2012 Republican presidential nominee, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, on March 4. Michael Nagle—Bloomberg/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 7, 2016 3:51 PM UTC William Kristol, who has been a leading voice in the [#NeverTrump movement](http://time.com/4308834/donald-trump-pennsylvania-maryland-primary-results-never-trump/), met with Mitt Romney this week to [try to persuade](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/06/mitt-romney-met-privately-with-william-kristol-who-is-leading-the-effort-to-draft-an-independent-bid/) the 2012 Republican nominee to enter the presidential race as an independent candidate, or at least support an anti-Trump movement. Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard magazine, met privately with Romney on Thursday, [the Washington _Post_ reported](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/06/mitt-romney-met-privately-with-william-kristol-who-is-leading-the-effort-to-draft-an-independent-bid/). “He came pretty close to being elected president, so I thought he may consider doing it, especially since he has been very forthright in explaining why Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton should not be president of the United States,” Kristol said in an interview with the _Post_ on Friday. Kristol also asked for Romney’s support in the event someone else chooses to run as an independent candidate. “Obviously, if there were to be an independent candidacy, Romney’s support would be very important,” Kristol said, according to the _Post_. Romney [spoke out against Trump](http://time.com/4246596/donald-trump-mitt-romney-utah-speech/) in March, calling him a “phony” and a “fraud” in an attempt to convince Republicans not to vote for him. While the former Massachusetts governor has said he’s not interested in running as an independent candidate, he is also one of several Republican leaders who have said this week they won’t support Trump—the presumptive GOP nominee—for president. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan [said he is not yet ready](http://time.com/4320139/donald-trump-paul-ryan-republican-party/) to support Trump, and former presidential candidate Jeb Bush [said he could not support](https://www.facebook.com/jebbush/posts/876702172458827) Trump’s candidacy. “I’m certainly going to be hoping that we find someone who I have my confidence in who becomes nominee,” Romney said at a dinner Thursday night, the [Washington _Examiner_ reported](http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/dismayed-romney-says-he-doesnt-intend-to-back-trump-worried-about-demagoguery-and-populism/article/2590558). “I don’t intend on supporting either of the major party candidates at this point.” Romney said he sees “too much demagoguery and populism” from both parties at this point in time. ## Transcript So there have been reports that you've been getting pressure from your staff to act more presidential, is that the case? Do you need to act more presidential? No, no, not at all. We have had no pressure to act more presidential. The Trump administration will lead a free world. Sir, with all due respect, that's the argument of a five year old. I didn't start it. That is properly armed and funded. Every parent knows a kid who says he- That's not a five year old. Excuse me, when I become president, the days of treating Israel like a second class citizen will end. Now I have a lot of friends, by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them. Did he choke? I would like to talk today about how to develop a new foreign policy direction for our country. We can't continue to allow. To rape our country. One that replaces randomness with purpose. Ideology with strategy and chaos with peace. Here's a guy, throwing punches, nasty as hell, screaming at everything else. I'd like to punch him in the face. The countries we are defending must pay For the cost of this defense. We're gonna knock the **** out of ISIS. [ APPLAUSE ] Gonna knock the **** out of them. Governor Kasich and Senator Cruz have really, really hurt themselves. Somebody has to be where the belt's going in because the belt moves this way. It moves this way. [ LAUGH ] It moves that way. We have won millions of more votes than Senator Cruz, a lying Ted, lying. He's a lying guy! I felt that I had to hit back very hard, but at the right time I will be so presidential you will be so bored. 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