Trump endorses Romney in run for U.S. Senate seat in Utah

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s run for a U.S. Senate seat in Utah, despite Romney often being critical of Trump. 

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Romney excoriated Trump as a “fraud” who was “playing the American public for suckers.” Trump responded that Romney had “choked like a dog” in his 2012 campaign against President Barack Obama. 

Trump said on Twitter that Romney “will make a great Senator and worthy successor to @OrrinHatch, and has my full support and endorsement!” Romney announced Friday he would run to replace retiring Senator Orrin Hatch. 

Romney thanked Trump for the endorsement in a Tweet posted soon after the president’s statement. “I hope that over the course of the campaign I also earn the support and endorsement of the people of Utah,” Romney said. 

Despite Romney’s prior criticism, after Trump won the presidency in November 2016, he briefly considered picking Romney as secretary of state. 

Republicans hold 51 of the Senate’s 100 seats but many legislative issues require getting the support of 60 senators. 

Trump has repeatedly said that he needs more Republicans elected during the 2018 congressional elections to win approval of more of his agenda. 

Romney said last week he generally approved of Trump’s agenda, but would not hesitate to call out the president if needed. 

“I‘m with the president’s domestic policy agenda of low taxes, low regulation, smaller government, pushing back against the bureaucrats,” Romney said. “I‘m not always with the president on what he might say or do, and if that happens I’ll call ‘em like I see ‘em, the way I have in the past.” 

Trump had lobbied Hatch to run for re-election in 2018, in what was viewed as an effort to prevent Romney from getting into the Senate. Trump and Romney spoke in January after Hatch announced his retirement, a White House official said. 

Romney, the son of former Michigan Governor George Romney, helped found the buyout firm Bain Capital and gained prominence after stepping in to lead the organizing committee for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics after a bribery scandal. He served as governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. 

Romney first sought the presidency in 2008 but lost the Republican nomination to Arizona Senator John McCain. Four years later, Romney won the party’s nomination but was defeated by incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama. 

Trump endorses Romney in run for U.S. Senate seat in Utah

Mitt Romney, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, to run for Senate in Utah

One Arizona senator was happy.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, will run for Senate in Utah, he said Friday. 

Romney announced his campaign in a video message. Already fighting criticism that he is an outsider, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee mentioned Utah early and often in the clip. 

"I have decided to run for United States Senate because I believe I can help bring Utah's values and Utah's lessons to Washington," he said. "Utah is a better model for Washington than Washington is for Utah."

Romney will aim to replace 83-year-old Sen. Orrin Hatch in November's election. The longtime senator announced his retirement in January even as Trump pushed him to run again. 

Romney, 70, has a a strong chance to win the seat later this year. While not a consistent Utah resident in years past, he has strong name recognition and is considered popular in the state. Romney is a Mormon who helped to reorganize the scandal-plagued 2002 Olympics Games in Salt Lake City — an effort he highlighted in his announcement.

Romney's run has already faced some resistance: the head of the state's Republican Party criticized him for not having deep enough ties to the state. Jenny Wilson, a Democratic candidate running for Senate in Utah, said this week that "Utah families deserve another Utahn as their senator, not a Massachusetts governor who thinks of our state as his vacation home." 

If elected, the former governor would bring strong name recognition and influence as a first-term senator. While former aides expect Romney to push for conservative policies in the Senate, they also believe he will rebuke the president when necessary and potentially clash with him on some policies. 

Romney likely would have backed the Republican tax law passed in December. But he may break with Trump on topics such as relations with Russia and immigration. 

In his announcement Friday, the former governor took a swipe at immigration hardliners in the White House and Congress. 

"Utah welcomes legal immigrants from around the world. Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion," he said. 

In the video, Romney also criticized the level of national debt and the lack of civility in Washington. He promoted an export-driven economy. 

Romney heavily criticized then-candidate Trump in a 2016 speech, calling him a "phony" and a "fraud." He warned that Trump would cause economic instability and endanger Americans abroad. 

Later, Romney unsuccessfully interviewed to be Trump's secretary of State. Since, he has publicly rebuked Trump when he supported Roy Moore, the Alabama Senate candidate accused of sexually abusing teenagers, and when the president reportedly questioned why the U.S. needed immigrants from "s---hole" African countries. 

If he wins the seat and criticizes Trump while in office, he would mark a stark shift from Hatch. Hatch has heaped praise on the president in recent months, calling him a "heck of a leader" after the GOP passed its tax plan in December. Trump reportedly begged the 83-year old Hatch to run for re-election one more time.

Before entering politics, Romney led investment firm Bain Capital, a spin-off of Bain & Company. After his role in the Utah Olympics, he served as Massachusetts governor from 2003 to 2007. 

There, he oversaw the creation of a health insurance program that some consider a precursor to the Affordable Care Act. As a presidential candidate in 2012, he pledged to repeal Obamacare and pushed for marketplaces created by states. 

Romney unsuccessfully ran for president in 2008 before winning the GOP nomination in 2012, when he lost in the general election to incumbent President Barack Obama.

Mitt Romney, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, to run for Senate in Utah

Reality

Reality

New Form 1040

On a tip from Ed Kilbane

New Form 1040

US to overtake Saudi Arabia, Russia to become top oil producer in 2019

The United States will overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia next year to become the world’s largest oil producer.

Surging output from its shale fields boosted output by 846,000 barrels per day in just the three months to November last year. 

The country is on course to jump from third largest producer to global leader.

Making the prediction in a report on Tuesday, the International Energy Agency added: ‘All the indicators that suggest continued fast growth in the US are in perfect alignment.’

US producers have revolutionized their industry over the past decade, plundering shale rock and speeding up drilling techniques to become less dependent on foreign imports.

The IEA warned the increase in output would ramp up pressure on industry cartel Opec – of which the US is not a member. 

Recent predictions suggest US output will grow by 8m barrels per day by 2025, the strongest growth in the history of crude markets.

US to overtake Saudi Arabia, Russia to become top oil producer in 2019