Sen. Mitt Romney backed President Trump on Friday by agreeing with his stance on the partial government shutdown. Romney backed his call for a wall on the southern border and said that he doesn’t understand the Democrats positioning on the issue.
“You (Pelosi) and your fellow Democrats have voted for over 600 miles of border fence in the past, why won’t you vote for another few miles now?” said Romney, speaking in Ogden, Utah after visiting with officials about the shutdown’s impact on the community. “I don’t understand their position, I really don’t.”
The present paralysis with Republicans and Democrats is because they are unable to come to an agreement on Trump’s call for $5.7 billion for funding for a wall or barrier on the border. Democrats have said they won’t go close to that number, and have instead offered less than $2 billion for more general “border security.”
Romney backed Trump and said that the U.S. deserves border security, including a barrier on the southern border, according to the Associated Press.
Romney, a fellow Republican, has been a frequent critic of Trump, particularly Trump’s conduct in office. Earlier this month, he made headlines with an op-ed in the Washington Post where he said Trump’s behavior “is evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office.”
Romney, who ran for president in 2012, said Trump should be bringing the country together, and demonstrate “the essential qualities of honesty and integrity, and elevate the national discourse with comity and mutual respect.”
Trump responded to the Post op-ed a day later: “I wish Mitt could be more of a team player. I am surprised he did it this quickly. If he fought really hard against President Obama like he does against me, he would’ve won the election.”
Romney called on both sides to “make a deal” and end the situation by which federal workers are not being paid.
“On policy, it strikes me like there’s not a big gap but the politics have drawn people into different corners,” Romney said.
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