Sen. Mitt Romney said President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential race was “right” and “in the best interest of the country,” in a statement Sunday.
“I’m a classic Republican and he’s a classic Democrat; obviously, President Biden and I usually didn’t see eye-to-eye. I opposed many of his initiatives. But we did find common ground on infrastructure, Ukraine, the Electoral Count Act, adding religious liberty protections to the marriage bill, gun safety measures, and chip manufacturing,” Romney said. “Others will judge his presidency. However, having worked with him these past few years, I respect President Biden. His decision to withdraw from the race was right and is in the best interest of the country.”
Romney said he and wife, Ann Romney, “send warm personal wishes to the President and First Lady.”
Last year, Romney said Biden and Trump should step aside for younger candidates
Romney, who is 77, announced last year he would not run for reelection to his Utah Senate seat, saying it was time for “the next generation to step forward.”
When he announced his decision not to run in September, he also weighed in on Biden’s age, and the age of former President Donald Trump, now the Republican nominee for president.
“I wish President Trump and President Biden would we both get out of the way and let younger contenders vie for the support of the American people,” he said at the time. “I really wish that we could have the nominee of each party be someone who’s not a baby boomer.”
Romney has said he would not vote for Trump, but has not said who he would support this year. In the past, he said he wrote in his wife Ann’s name.
Biden had harsh words for Romney in 2012, when Romney was the Republican nominee for president and Biden was vice president.
“Romney wants to let the — he said in the first hundred days he’s going to let the big banks once again write their own rules, ‘unchain Wall Street.’ They’re going to put y’all back in chains,” Biden said at the time.
More recently, Biden and Romney found common ground on several policy issues, although Romney has also criticized the president over his handling of the border and spending issues.
In February, Romney defended Biden over charges that he was not mentally fit to run for reelection.
“I’m 76. Believe it or not, when you get older, your memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Dates are not as familiar. You tend to sometimes mess up words. I would note that that’s been the case with President Biden, and frankly President Trump, for some time — and in my case, most of my life,” Romney said at the time. “I’ve negotiated with President Biden. He’s an older guy, but I believe he is intellectually competent. That’s not the worry. The worry for me with President Biden is I disagree with him on the border and think he’s spending too much money.”