Is Mitt Romney Running For President? Romney May Have Tipped Off His Intentions On Facebook

Mitt Romney could be running for president in 2016, with a number of political pundits seeing his sharp attack on Donald Trump as the groundwork for a third presidential run. In addition, Romney possibly tipped off his intentions on Facebook.

The two-time Republican presidential candidate, who lost to Barack Obama by a wide margin in 2012, became the public face of an all-out attack on Donald Trump from within the GOP. Romney gave a stinging speech against Trump, laying out what appears to be the party’s case against the real estate magnate.

In the speech, Romney said Trump’s economic policies would lead to a recession and his foreign policies would “make America and the world less safe,” Politico reported. He also called Trump unfit for the White House, noting Trump is all about “the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics.”

But Mitt Romney did something else in his race that has many thinking he could be planning a presidential run himself. Instead of endorsing a single candidate against Trump, he implored voters to pick the candidate who is closest in each state.

“Given the current delegate selection process, this means that I would vote for Marco Rubio in Florida, John Kasich in Ohio, and for Ted Cruz or whichever one of the other two contenders has the best chance of beating Mr. Trump in a given state,” Romney said (via Politico).

Some believe that was his intention and that Mitt Romney himself intends to enter the GOP picture at some point rather than endorsing another candidate.

John Yob, a longtime political consultant who served as political director for John McCain’s 2008 race and Rick Santorum’s run, predicted that Mitt Romney would challenge Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention later this summer. If Trump fails to reach 50 percent of the party’s delegates, then the convention can be brokered, and the party may choose another candidate.

“I think that there is a relatively strong chance that the establishment tries to find an opening for Mitt Romney to run,” Yob told CBS News. “I think they’re certainly going to try to figure if they have a strategy that could be successful. The establishment will pull out every trick in the book to stop Donald Trump and one of those tricks will be trying to get Mitt Romney to run.”

As CBS News noted, Mitt Romney’s potential presidential run may create chaos with voters but would be seen as a necessary alternative to the Republican Party terrified of what a Trump campaign would mean.

“Trump is real, and a real threat to establishment Republicans, with his mixed history, ideology, and readily apparent political pragmatism, pundits say. He’s a Christian who fights with the pope, a Republican who invited Hillary and Bill Clinton to his third wedding, and a businessman who previously tried to curry favor with Republicans and Democrats alike.

“Enter Mitt Romney.”

There could be another sign that Romney plans to take on Donald Trump. Romney’s Facebook page says he is “currently running for president,” which could either be outdated information or a hint of his intentions this summer.

But Mitt Romney may be the wrong candidate to run for president in 2016 — and certainly the wrong one to take on Donald Trump, Yob and others point out. Romney solicited Trump’s endorsement in 2012, and at the time praised Trump’s business abilities — the same ones he trashed in Thursday’s speech.

Trump has already torn into Romney, saying he was a “choke artist’ who begged for Trump’s endorsement in 2012.

“You can see how loyal he is…. I could have said Mitt, drop to your knees, he would have dropped to his knees,” Trump said (via Fox News).

Would @MittRomney run for president, under any circumstances? Watch what he told @MLauer: https://t.co/TadLbHXWsR

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 4, 2016

The cost of a Mitt Romney presidential run could be very high, however. Donald Trump has made strong overtures that the would plan a third-party run if the Republican Party tries to push him out, which would almost certainly split conservative voters and ensure that Hillary Clinton would win in November. But there are some within the party who believe that four years of Hillary Clinton with the chance for a fresh start in 2020 is better than the thought of a Trump presidency, insiders say.

[Photo by George Frey/Getty Images]