Mitt Romney's faith central to understanding his rebuke of President Trump's conduct By Luke Perry
Interpretations of Mitt Romney’s historic vote to remove President Trump from office for abuse of power must incorporate his faith.
“I am profoundly religious,” Romney said in his Senate remarks, “my faith is at the heart of who I am. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential.” (Romney’s full statement here)
Romney is among several Mormon conservative elite who have expressed discomfort with Donald Trump's conduct, beginning in the 2016 primary, when he encouraged Republicans to vote for anyone but Trump.
“The president asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. The president withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. The president delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders. The president’s purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust.”
Social conservatism will continue to be the cornerstone of alignment between Mormons and the Republican Party, but this stone has notably loosened as Donald Trump reshaped the GOP in recent years.
Fissures were on full display during the 2016 campaign, when Mitt Romney criticized Trump’s business acumen, intelligence, national security credentials, and personal conduct, encouraging Republicans to vote for anyone but Trump in the primary.
“What President Trump did was not perfect. No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.”
When Romney asked Utahans to “think of Donald Trump’s personal qualities, the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third grade theatrics,” and “imagine your children and your grandchildren acting the way he does,” it meant something deeper within the Mormon tradition, where life is a test of righteousness and childrearing is a sacred duty. Just 14 percent of Utah voters thought Trump was “a good role model for young people.”
Romney will support most of the president’s policies, (he referenced backing 80 percent of them), but he will never be comfortable with Trump’s lack of character and leadership. His vote was a religiously principled stand. Romney had nothing to gain politically and will spend the foreseeable future incurring the wrath of Trump and his supporters.
Luke Perry is Professor of Government at Utica College and author of Mormons and American Politics; From Persecution to Power (Praeger, 2012) and Mitt Romney, Mormonism and the 2012 Election (Palgrave, 2014)
