“A Very Large Portion” of Republicans Don’t “Believe in the Constitution”: Mitt Romney

William FurneyNov 17, 2023

Minute Read

The deadly attack on the US Capitol in the wake of the 2020 presidential election that Donald Trump lost left an indelible mark on many Republicans — they no longer believed in the US Constitution. At least that’s according to Mitt Romney.

Claim in New Romney Book

Romney, a Utah senator and onetime presidential candidate, makes the shocking claim against his fellow Republicans in a new biography, Romney: A Reckoning, by writer McKay Coppins.

Lost Faith

Editorial credit: mark reinstein / Shutterstock.

Romney, 76, told Coppins for this book that after the events of January 6, many people in the Republican party no longer had faith in the American Constitution. “A very large portion of my party really doesn’t believe in the Constitution,” he said.

2020 Presidential Election

Editorial credit: No-Mad / Shutterstock.

A furious Trump was hoping to be re-elected in the 2020 election but Joe Biden won the vote. Trump refused to concede defeat, instead insisting the ballot had been “rigged” and “stolen” from him. He launched legal challenges to the result across the country but courts threw out his lawsuits for lack of evidence. Trump has since been indicted for attempting to overturn the election result, thereby depriving Americans of their right to vote.

Call to Protest

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.

Still seething over his election loss and just days away from Biden’s inauguration, Trump used social media to call on his supporters to protest at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, where proceedings were due to get underway confirming Biden as the election winner.

Outbreak of Rioting

Editorial credit: Thomas Hengge/Shutterstock.

Thousands of Trump supporters massed on the Capitol buildings and fighting with police and security officers soon erupted. The attack led to the loss of five lives, and more than 1,000 people were arrested, many of them since jailed for their roles in the siege

‘Outrageous Act’

In an interview with Republican Accountability, a group that seeks to hold people who attempted to overturn the 2020 election accountable, Romney said the events of January 6 amounted to “a riot, an insurrection attempt … It was an outrageous act.”

‘Call It What It Was’

Image Credit: Thomas Hengge/Shutterstock.

Romney continued: “A lot of people were injured. Our building was severely damaged, and efforts to try to pretend that it was something other than that are despicable and frankly dangerous.”

Warning to McConnell

Image Credit: Consolidated News Photos/Shutterstock.

Romney also says in his biography that he was warned about the potential for rioting on January 6 and sent a text message alerting then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell about a possible eruption of violence — including “calls to burn down your home” — but never got a reply.

Oath to Uphold

Reacting to Romney’s claim that many Republicans no longer adhered to the US Constitution, one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Hey to all the GOP in Congress, if most of you do not believe in the Constitution then why did You take an oath to uphold the Constitution?”

‘Why Be in the GOP?’

Another person wondered on X why Romney stayed in the GOP if most of his colleagues no longer had faith in the Constitution. “If ‘a very large portion of my party’ didn’t believe in the Constitution, and I did, why would I stay in that party?” said John Andreini.

Selective Support

Still another X user, going by the name Scouser Steve, referring to amendments to the US Constitution guaranteeing free speech and the right to bear arms, said:

“Most of Romney’s associates in the GOP are mostly about the same age as him, meaning they have always disdained the Constitution except for the First and Second Amendments.”

Trump Back in White House?

Trump, 77, is leading the Republican field to be the party’s candidate for the 2024 election, with a massive 50-point national polling lead over rivals including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

Trump ‘Swing State Advantage’

Polling also shows that Trump is ahead of his likely Democratic rival, President Biden, 80, in key swing states, although both men are almost neck-and-neck in national polls. Primaries will take place from January to select candidates for the 2024 race.

Worries Over Biden, Trump in 2024

But there is rising concern in both parties about their likely candidates’ ages, particularly given a recent string of memory loss, trips, stumbles and incoherent remarks to reporters, by both — fears that their rivals are hoping to capitalize on ahead of primary voting. That’s apart from a mountain of legal challenges Trump is facing that could see him imprisoned for the remainder of his life.