Boston

Romney: Trump ‘Fell Far Short' With Tweets About Dem. Congresswomen

The senator and former governor of Massachusetts didn't say whether Trump's tweets were racist

Sen. Mitt Romney said President Donald Trump "fell far short" of his duty to unite all Americans with his weekend tweets telling four congresswomen of color to leave the country.

In an exclusive interview with NBC10 Boston Monday, Romney also took aim at the group of women known as "the squad" that includes Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

"I certainly feel that a number of these new members of Congress have views that are not consistent with my experience and not consistent with building a strong America," the Utah Republican said at Boston Logan International Airport.

"At the same time, I recognize that the president has a unique and noble calling to unite all Americans regardless of our creeds, or our race or the place of our national origin, and I think in that case, the president fell far short with his comments yesterday."

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, didn't say whether Trump's tweets were racist, saying only, "That's all I've got, thanks," before walking off.

Romney didn't say why he was in the area; NBC10 Boston has reached out to his office for comment .Romney has several homes, and family, in New England, and often returns. 

Pressley also spoke to NBC10 Boston about the controversy, saying she wasn't surprised that Trump was being bigoted and xenophobic.

Trump has refused to apologize over the comments, in which he said the congresswomen should "go back" to the "crime infested places" they" originally came from" and fix those.

They drew widespread condemnation from Democrats and a few Republicans beside Romney. Maine Sen. Susan Collins said they were "way over the line" and should be taken down, while Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker called them "a disgrace."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us