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Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney offered support to President Donald Trump on Sunday in an abrupt change from his past criticisms.
Romney shared his defense of Trump during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” noting that the president “overwhelmingly” won the support of Americans and should be given a chance.
“Donald Trump won. He won overwhelmingly. He said what he was going to do, and that’s what he’s doing. I mean, people are saying, ‘oh, I don’t like this appointment or this policy that he’s talking about,’” Romney said. “But those are the things he said he was going to do when he ran. So you can’t complain about someone who does what he said he was going to do.”
“And I agree with him on a lot of policy fronts. I disagree with him on some things. But it’s like, OK, give him a chance to do what he said he’s going to do and see how it works out,” the GOP senator added.
Romney also highlighted Trump’s diverse team of leaders, comparing it with President Abraham Lincoln’s concept of a team of rivals.
“Well, a very famous book talked about Abraham Lincoln choosing a team of rivals. This is a team of people who are very, very different, extraordinarily different backgrounds, different perspectives on issues, in some cases, I think even than the president, so an unusual collection of individuals, not the people I would have chosen,” Romney said.
The words come as Trump seeks to shore up support for his nominees in the new Republican-controlled Senate.
While several choices have widespread support, others such as Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, Director or Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard and Health and Human Services Director nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continue to face opposition.
Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton told Fox News last week during an interview that he believes all of Trump’s nominees will be confirmed.
Two of Trump’s nominees have withdrawn from consideration following initial controversy, including former Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was nominated as U.S. Attorney General.