Trump Is Not 'As Smart as He Projects Himself', Mitt Romney’s Biography Claims

The unreleased biography of Utah senator Mitt Romney, Romney: A Reckoning, penned by McKay Coppins, has unearthed a wealth of previously unknown information about fellow Republicans and former president Donald Trump. In spite of attempts by some in the former president's inner circle, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to persuade him otherwise, Senator Romney concluded that Trump isn't the "smartest one as he projects himself to be," as detailed in the book. 

In the biography, author Coppins writes that the Republican presidential contender of 2012 first "vacillated on the subject of the president's intelligence." An excerpt of the upcoming book was obtained by HuffPost. “I think he’s not smart. I mean, really not smart,” Romney once said about Trump, as stated in the book. “It’s like, how is that possible for someone over the second or third grade to think that?” he stated following Trump's suggestion, made during a White House press briefing in the early days of the 2020 pandemic, that Americans treat their COVID-19 by injecting themselves with bleach. 

Romney had previously warned in 2016 that Trump's policies would prove to be detrimental to the nation. As per CBS News, Romney had stated, "Let me put it plainly, if we Republicans choose Donald Trump as our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished," remarked the 2012 GOP presidential candidate at an address at Utah University back then.

"His is not the temperament of a stable, thoughtful leader. His imagination must not be married to real power." He continued, "Donald Trump tells us that he is very, very smart. I'm afraid that when it comes to foreign policy he is very, very not smart." Romney had also called Trump a "phony, a fraud" back then and also lambasted his personal qualities, "the bullying, the greed, the showing off the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics." 

The book also describes a conversation between Trump and Romney in 2018 following the latter's announcement of his Senate bid. As per the book extract, Romney and a campaign aide restrained laughing during the conversation as Trump talked about his administration's repeal of a public lands designation in Utah and confused units of measurement when talking about his X following, which was previously referred to as Twitter.

The biography is based on several hours of conversations that Coppins had with Romney, who said a few days ago that he would not run for office again in 2019. The senator fires on Trump and other members of his own party, including other Republican senators, accusing them of prioritizing their political aspirations over the welfare of the country. Author McKay Coppins' Romney: A Reckoning was released in major bookstores on the 24th of October, 2023. 

Editor's note: This article was originally published on October 20, 2023. It has since been updated.