Romney: Trump’s Political Sway Will Continue After Election

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — President Donald Trump’s most vocal GOP critic said Tuesday that Trump will likely continue to have influence in Republican politics, even after the presidential election was called for Democrat Joe Biden.

U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney said Trump’s significant presence on social media and his ability to turn out the vote among his political supporters mean he isn’t going away.

The 2012 Republican presidential nominee said Trump is within his rights to call for recounts and investigations into any voting irregularities.

ROMNEY on #Election2020

"It's unlikely at this stage that there will be sufficient irregularities to justify a different outcome.”@SenatorRomney said @realDonaldTrump is “fully entitled" to call for recounts and investigations

FULL STORY next @KSL5TV at 6:30pm @kslnewsradio pic.twitter.com/8OX1AfwgKU

— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) November 11, 2020

But Romney said any problems likely won’t change the outcome of the election.

“I think at this stage it’s likely that President-elect Biden will be inaugurated in January,” he said. “But the final word has not been yet received from each of the states and until it is, why certainly, the president will pursue his legal options.”

For the result to change, Romney said it would require a reversal in more than one state — which would be a challenge.

“In a nation with as many voters as there were, 140, 150 million voters, there would surely be some irregularities in that process,” he said. “But I think it’s unlikely at this stage that there will be sufficient irregularities to justify a different outcome.”

KSL-TV’s Ladd Egan contributed to this report.