--- title: President Trump Has Endorsed Mitt Romney's Senate Bid description: President Donald Trump has tweeted his endorsement of Mitt Romney's run for a Utah Senate seat canonical: https://time.com/5166003/donald-trump-endorses-mitt-romney/ author: Laignee Barron article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-20T03:59:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:59:20.193Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Has Endorsed Mitt Romney's Senate Bid og:description: Backing one of his harshest critics og:url: https://time.com/5166003/donald-trump-endorses-mitt-romney/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd9087a277f78285b/6989283bdb2987330525ed33/gettyimages-907172974.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3820 og:image:height: 2149 og:image:alt: Mitt Romney Addresses Silicon Slopes Summit In Salt Lake City og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Has Endorsed Mitt Romney's Senate Bid twitter:description: Backing one of his harshest critics twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd9087a277f78285b/6989283bdb2987330525ed33/gettyimages-907172974.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Backing One of His Most Vocal Critics, President Trump Has Endorsed Mitt Romney’s Senate Bid > 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=f5cf1011-78e8-49eb-b528-864fd8ed22c6&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Mitt Romney Officially Announces He's Running for Utah Senate [Watch (HLS stream): Mitt Romney Officially Announces He's Running for Utah Senate](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WwC42KsE.m3u8) (2:19)  _Published 2018-02-16. Republican Mitt Romney is trying for a political comeback as he launches a Senate campaign in Utah_ by [Laignee Barron](https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Feb 20, 2018 3:59 AM UTC Republican Mitt Romney is trying for a political comeback as he launches a Senate campaign in Utah by [Laignee Barron](https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Feb 20, 2018 3:59 AM UTC President Donald Trump has tweeted his endorsement of Mitt Romney’s run for a Utah Senate seat, writing Monday night that the former Massachusetts governor who has frequently criticized the president has his “full support and endorsement.” Romney launched his bid for a political comeback on Friday, making official the rumors that he would run to replace Utah’s retiring Senator Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate. > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/965773283554668544) An outspoken critic of President Trump, Romney said [in a video](https://twitter.com/MittRomney/status/964489491682504704/video/1) officially announcing his candidacy that “Utah has a lot to teach the politicians in Washington.” During the 2016 Republican primary, Romney [lashed out](http://www.bbc.com/news/av/election-us-2016-35721069/mitt-romney-donald-trump-is-a-fraud) at then front-running candidate Trump, calling him a “phony” and a “fraud.” The White House had [aggressively lobbied](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/us/politics/orrin-hatch-retiring-romney-trump.html) Hatch to seek an eighth term in part to block Romney from trying take the seat and from there possibly launching another presidential bid after his failed 2012 run, the New York _Times_ reported. While Trump once called Romney a “[disaster candidate,”](https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/706176828843663360) the president now says Romney “will make a great Senator and worthy successor” to Hatch. In 2016, Romney tweeted that he would [not have accepted](https://twitter.com/MittRomney/status/705471184935190532) Trump’s endorsement of his 2012 presidential bid if Trump had made racist and hateful comments about “Muslims, Mexicans, disabled” back then. But on Monday, Romney tweeted his thanks to the president, and said he hopes that he will also “earn the support and endorsement of the people of Utah,” a state where President Trump enjoys his [highest approval](https://morningconsult.com/tracking-trump/) ratings. > [](https://twitter.com/MittRomney/status/965782061503062016) Romney, who grew up in Michigan and was governor of Massachusetts from to 2003-2007, has a home in Utah, and is a Mormon [like approximately 55%](http://news.gallup.com/poll/226844/religiously-segregated-states-america.aspx) of the state’s residents. ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:03] Utah's admired not only for its beauty, but also for the [00:06] character of its people. Utahns [00:11] are known for hard work, innovation, and our can do [00:14] pioneering spirit. But more than these, we're [00:19] known as a people who serve. Who care and who rise [00:23] to any occasion. When I joined Utah's 2002 Olympics [00:27] team, the games were in trouble. People wondered [00:30] whether we would be able to recruit the 25, 000 [00:33] volunteers we needed to work 17 straight days for no [00:37] pay and no tickets. When we put out the word 47, 000 [00:42] applied. [ MUSIC ] [00:45] Utah has a lot to teach the politicians in Washington. [00:49] Utah has balances budgets, Washington is buried [00:53] in debt. Utah exports more abroad than [00:57] it imports, Washington has that backwards. Utah [01:01] welcomes legal immigrants from around the world. [01:03] Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion. [01:07] And on Utah's capitol hill, people treat one another [01:11] with respect. I [01:13] have decided to run for United States Senate because I [01:16] believe I can help bring Utah's values And Utah is [01:20] [ INAUDIBLE ] to Washington, Utah is a better model for [01:24] Washington than Washington is for Utah. [01:29] Over the last five years Ann and I have spent a good [01:31] deal of time with our 24 grandchildren, I've gone back [01:35] to business, campaigned for Republicans, I met with [01:38] young people Across the country, and has championed [01:41] her center for neurologic research. [ MUSIC ] [01:46] Given all that America faces, we feel that this is the [01:49] right time for me to serve our state and our country, I [01:54] ask for your support and your vote, and I look forward [01:58] to meeting you over the coming year If you give me this [02:01] opportunity, I will owe the senate seat to no one but [02:05] the people of Utah. No donor, no corporation will own [02:08] my campaign, or buy us my vote. And let there be no [02:13] question I will fight for Utah. 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