Mitt Romney labels Donald Trump ‘a fraud’ and a misogynist

Former Republican US presidential nominee Mitt Romney gave a blistering rebuke of 2016 party front-runner Donald Trump on Thursday, the latest sign of how badly mainstream figures in the party want to stop the New York billionaire from winning the party’s nomination.

Mr Romney, an elder statesman in the party, urged Republicans in states that have not yet held nominating contests to vote for Trump’s opponents in a bid to stop his march to the nomination for the November 8th election to succeed US president Barack Obama.

“Here’s what I know. Donald Trump is a phoney, a fraud,” said Romney (68) who has kept a low profile since losing to Mr Obama in 2012.

“He’s playing the members of the American public for suckers. He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat,” he said.

Mr Trump has made his party’s establishment uneasy with his positions on trade and immigration, including his calls to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, deport 11 million illegal immigrants and temporarily bar Muslims from entering the country.

During his speech at the University of Utah Mr Romney said: “Think of Donald Trump’s personal qualities, the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third grade theatrics . . . Now imagine your children and your grandchildren acting the way he does. Will you welcome that?”

Mr Romney also pointed to the billionaire real estate developer’s refusal to release his tax returns and initial reluctance to disavow an endorsement from a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.

Mr Romney, who did not endorse anyone, suggested Republicans vote for candidates who appear poised to do the best against Trump in states still to hold nominating votes: Senator Marco Rubio in Florida, Ohio Governor Kasich in his home state and Senator Ted Cruz from Texas where he is strong.

Economic policy

Mr Romney also said Mr Trump’s economic policy would sink America “into prolonged recession” and his foreign policy would endanger the country. He went on to criticise his business acumen and his temperament.

“This is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss,” he said.

Ahead of the speech, much of which had been previewed in excerpts, Mr Trump dismissed Mr Romney in television interviews and posts on Twitter, calling him “a failed candidate” who had “begged” him for an endorsement in 2012.

"Mitt Romney is a stiff," Mr Trump told NBC's Today.

Mr Romney’s strategy risks backfiring by further energising Mr Trump’s supporters, who are angry with a party they see as not defending their interests.

“If you’re Trump, this is like getting the good kind of Kryptonite,” Republican strategist Doug Heye said.

Mr Romney’s speech came hours before Mr Trump and rivals Mr Rubio, Mr Cruz and Mr Kasich share a debate stage in Detroit.

It risks locking Trump’s opponents out of news coverage until the 9pm EST debate hosted by Fox News begins. The debate will be the candidates’ first face-to-face gathering since Super Tuesday nominating contests this week gave extra momentum to Trump but did not knock out his rivals.

– (Reuters)