Fox News Guest Blasts Mitt Romney for Criticizing Trump After Accepting His Senate Endorsement

Fox News guest Dan Bongino blasted Senator-elect Mitt Romney as "a sell-out" and "fraud" for changing his opinion of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, a day after the incoming Utah lawmaker published an editorial rebuking the commander in chief.

Romney's Washington Post op-ed praised a number of the president's policies but criticized his character.

Bongino, speaking on Fox & Friends, said that Romney, not Trump, exhibited character flaws.

"He's a fraud. He's a phony. He's a fake. This is the kind of guy who has absolutely decimated the Republican Party," Bongino, a former NRATV commentator, said. "You know what? You should not have taken that endorsement [from Trump] if this is how you felt," he said, referring to Trump's endorsement of Romney during the 2018 election. "This guy is a disgrace. He's an embarrassment. I'm embarrassed for him, the people of Utah and anyone who supported this fraud. What a fake!"

"Here's the problem we have," Bongino continued after host Ainsley Earhardt questioned why Romney was not supporting the leader of his party. "What are our other options? The Democrats want to destroy the country immediately. The swamp rat Republicans are the managed decliners. 'Don't worry, we'll just manage the decline of the country while we all keep our bow ties on and eat our foie gras lunches and get our money from our lobbyists.'"

Romney's editorial rejuvenated a years-long feud.

After praising Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign, Trump lashed out at the Republican nominee for losing the election to Barack Obama.

In 2015, Romney rebuked the racist comments about Mexican immigrants Trump made when launching his presidential campaign. "I think he made a severe error in saying what he did about Mexican-Americans," Romney said, reported CNN.

He continued levying criticism, and Trump soon hit back.

In a 2016 speech, Romney called Trump "a phony, a fraud" and said that "his promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing members of the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat."

Trump again returned the criticism with his own disparaging comments.

After the election, Romney congratulated Trump. "Best wishes for our duly elected president: May his victory speech be his guide and preserving the Republic his aim," he wrote on Twitter.

In mid-November 2016, Romney visited the president-elect at the Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey, while Trump was evaluating how to fill his Cabinet. The two had dinner later in the month, and Romney called Trump "the very man who can lead us," Reuters reported.

In August 2017, Romney blasted Trump's response to the deadly clashes at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Whether he intended to or not, what [Trump] communicated caused racists to rejoice, minorities to weep, and the vast heart of America to mourn," he wrote on Facebook, according to The Guardian.

Their testy relationship appeared to once again improve in February 2018, when Trump tweeted that Romney would "make a great Senator," and "has my full support and endorsement!"

Romney responded by thanking Trump for the praise, tweeting "Thank you Mr. President for the support. I hope that over the course of the campaign I also earn the support and endorsement of the people of Utah."

Clarification: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified Bongino as a contributor, instead of a guest.