Trump knocks bitter enemy Romney as the senator lays out plans to retire

“He did not serve with distinction,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump knocks bitter enemy Romney as the senator lays out plans to retire

Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to gloat after Sen. Mitt Romney announced that he would not run for reelection.

In his post, written in all-caps, Trump called the announcement “fantastic news for America, the great state of Utah, and for the Republican Party.” Trump also referenced Romney (R-Utah) as “Pierre Delecto,” an alias Romney formerly used on X, then Twitter, to like tweets criticizing Trump, among other content.

The two Republicans have long had an adversarial relationship. Romney’s moderate approach to legislating and openness to bipartisanship has frequently acted as a check on Trumpism, angering Trump and his supporters.

During Trump’s first impeachment trial, Romney was the only Republican senator who voted to convict Trump. The second time around, he was joined by six of his colleagues.

Trump made his thoughts on Romney’s Senate tenure clear in his post, writing that “he did not serve with distinction” and predicting that Romney would have faced a primary challenge had he decided to run again.

Romney's announcement marks a likely end to his lengthy official political career. Prior to entering the Senate in 2019, he won the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 and served as governor of Massachusetts.