Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, said on Sunday he was glad he was not in the current race for the White House, despite friends and supporters saying he could be winning it.
“I can’t imagine running right now, and I’m glad I’m not in this race,” Romney said on CNN. “A lot of people there are battling their way ahead. I think the American people want to see a new face, and that’s a good thing.”
Romney flirted with a third run for the White House – he lost out to Senator John McCain in the 2008 primaries – before ceding the field to the current bumper crop of candidates.
For the first time publicly in months, the former Massachusetts governor handicapped the Republican field, saying he did not believe Donald Trump would win the nomination and sharing his opinions about the other candidates – including a high appraisal of New Jersey governor Chris Christie.
“I don’t think it’s likely that Donald Trump will be the nominee, but it’s obviously too early to tell,” he said. “Donald Trump has had a lot of support for a long time, and so I think people think well, this could go a lot further than expected.
“I think there’s some very positive attributes associated with a number of people running for president. Marco [Rubio] has some very compelling attributes.
“But look, Chris Christie, this is a guy who’s taken on some really tough situations in New Jersey, he’s a great debater, he speaks his mind clearly and forcefully. Look, he could be a very strong nominee.
“Jeb Bush as well has an extraordinary record as the governor of Florida, an education governor, a guy who’s made a difference there and across the country, he could be a very strong nominee.
“John Kasich. John Kasich has done a terrific job in the state of Ohio, rebuilt the economy there. And of course Carly Fiorina has risen dramatically. So we’ve got some good folks.”
Asked about Ben Carson, Romney coughed into his hand.
“Ben Carson I don’t know as well, but he’s obviously a very gentle and sweet soul who speaks his mind,” he said.
Romney used part of his appearance to lob arrows at Hillary Clinton, for what he said was a broad failure as secretary of state and an inappropriate declaration during last week’s presidential debate that Republicans were her enemies.
Clinton mentioned “Republicans” with a smile at the end of a list when asked to name enemies she was proud of.
“It’s like, ‘Gosh, that’s not the approach for the president in the White House,’” Romney said. “I think she might have said Isis, or people who are chanting ‘death to America’.”
