MITT PLANS – AT 7:16 P.M. ET:   Mitt Romney is a curious fellow.  We thought he was out of politics, now he's back in, running for the Senate from Utah.  He's savaged Donald Trump with some of the worst comments made about Trump, now he says that Trump will easily win in 2020.  And it appears that Romney himself has big plans.  From the Daily Mail: 

Mitt Romney is preparing to become a major figure in the Republican Party next year, laying the groundwork to become spokesman of the Republican Party establishment that's been steamrolled since the election of President Donald Trump.

The former presidential candidate is widely expected to win Utah's Senate election in November and has already let party leaders know he intends to make a splash upon his taking of the oath of office in January, Politico reported.  

He's expressed an interest in joining the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and wants to work on spending issues. 

But the most delicate issue he's likely to deal with is relationship with President Donald Trump. 

Romney, who failed to win the Republican presidential primary in 2008 and then failed to win the presidency in 2012, was a vocal 'Never Trumper' voice during the 2016 race and criticized the now-president on multiple occasions.

During the height of the Republican presidential primary, Romney called Trump a 'phony' and a 'fraud' during a March 2016 speech in Utah where he also argued that Trump's policies would lead to a recession.

And...

Romney has balanced his criticism of the president with praise as of late.  

He said in May that he didn't think Trump was a good role model for his 18 grandchildren, saying 'some of the things he has said are not ones that I would aspire for my grandkids to adopt.'

Romney explained the president's tendency to not tell the truth is the main reason Trump is not a paragon of virtue for children to follow.

'I don't think that I would point to the president as a role model for my grandkids on the basis of his personal style. He has departed in some cases from the truth, and has attacked in a way that I think is not entirely appropriate,' he told NBC News. 'I think that his policies have been by and large a good deal better than I might have expected. But some of the things he has said are not ones that I would aspire for my grandkids to adopt.'

But he predicted last week Trump will 'solidly' win a second term.

'I think that not just because of the strong economy and the fact that people are going to see increasingly rising wages,' he said.  

'But I think it's also true because I think our Democrat friends are likely to nominate someone who is really out of the mainstream of American thought and will make it easier for a president who's presiding over a growing economy.'

Romney also predicted Trump would 'easily' see off any challenger in the Republican nominations, for the same reasons. 

COMMENT:  I'd imagine there'd be immediate tension between Romney and Trump.  Despite what Romney says, he'll certainly look for any opening that can allow him to run in 2020.  He'll be 74 that year, probably his last chance.

June 10, 2018