Mitt Romney stands by Donald Trump criticism, but GOP is now MAGA [Video]

Sen. Mitt Romney, a frequent Donald Trump critic who will soon retire from Congress, stood by his criticism of the president-elect’s character but said Trump and his MAGA movement now define the Republican Party.

“I’m, as you know, not a supporter of President Trump’s. I didn’t support him in this election. I didn’t the last time he ran either, largely for matters of character,” the Utah Republican, who was the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, told CNN’s Jake Tapper in a wide-ranging interview on “State of the Union” on Sunday.

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But Romney acknowledged Trump’s grip on the party he once led.

“MAGA is the Republican Party and Donald Trump is the Republican Party today,” he said.

Asked about his sustained criticism of Trump, which dates to the president-elect’s first White House run in 2016, Romney …