President Donald Trump has endorsed a frequent critic of his in the race to replace retiring Sen Orrin Hatch in Utah.
Mr Trump took to Twitter to express his faith in Mitt Romney, saying that he is a worthy successor to Mr Hatch and that he has his full support.
Mitt Romney “has announced he is running for the Senate from the wonderful State of Utah,” Mr Trump wrote on the social media platform. “He will make a great Senator and worthy successor to @OrrinHatch, and has my full support and endorsement!”
Mr Romney is a one-time presidential candidate who lost in the general election in 2012 against former President Barack Obama. Mr Romney was previously the governor of Massachusetts before his failed run for president.
The two politicians have had a strained relationship in the past. Mr Romney was very critical of Mr Trump during his 2016 presidential run, saying then that Mr Trump was not qualified to be president.
Mr Trump later invited Mr Romney to visit him during the presidential transition period before the inauguration, fueling speculation that the former Massachusetts governor was being considered to be Mr Trump’s Secretary of State. Mr Trump ultimately those Rex Tillerson for that job.
.@MittRomney has announced he is running for the Senate from the wonderful State of Utah. He will make a great Senator and worthy successor to @OrrinHatch, and has my full support and endorsement!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2018
But, Mr Romney has since then been critical of Mr Trump since he actually became president. For instance, Mr Romney has been critical of Mr Trump’s response to the events in Charlottesville, Virginia last year when a white supremacist drove through a crowd of demonstrators killing one.
Mr Romney also criticized Mr Trump’s decision to endorse former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who was accused by multiple women of pursuing them sexually when they were teenagers and he was an adult.
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