Romney Gives His Prediction for GOP's 2028 Nominee

Outgoing Republican Sen. Mitt Romney gave his predictions for the future of the Grand Old Party in a congressional "exit interview" with CNN on Sunday, the Hill reports. "MAGA is the Republican Party, and Donald Trump is the Republican Party today," Romney said. "And if you were to ask me who the nominee will be in 2028, it'll be JD Vance." He says the vice president-elect is "smart, well-spoken, part of the MAGA movement." Asked about previous comments regarding Vance—whom Romney once said he didn't respect—Romney "brushed off" the remarks, USA Today reports. He said he made them "long ago" and that the two have since worked together in the Senate.

Romney has also criticized Trump in the past, but he said Sunday he didn't want to rehash those comments. "Donald Trump won. He won overwhelmingly. He said what he was going to do and that's what he's doing," Romney said. "You can't complain about someone who does what he said he was going to do. I agree with him on a lot of policy fronts. I disagree with him on some things, but it's like, OK, give him a chance to do what he said he was going to do and see how it works out." He says Democrats' cultural views pushed blue-collar voters away, warning that the party is "in trouble." (More Mitt Romney stories.)