Retiring Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) took a dig at former President Donald Trump on Tuesday while dismissing claims that Trump did not have an affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
“I think everybody has made their own assessment of President Trump’s character, and so far as I know you don’t pay someone $130,000 not to have sex with you,” Romney quipped to CNN.
The jab from Romney—one of the most vocal critics of Trump in the GOP—quickly went viral online. Unsurprisingly, responses to the remark were largely partisan.
The right-wing conspiratorial figure known as Catturd called Romney a “lowlife” in response. Meanwhile, those opposed to Trump found the comment humorous: “I didn’t know Mitt Romney was this funny,” one user said.
The viral moment comes as Trump’s alleged relationship with Daniels has been spotlit once again, as the former president’s criminal trial in New York continues.
Trump has frequently sparred with Romney, calling him a “RINO” and a “total loser that only a mother could love.”
The former president faces a 34-count felony indictment in New York on charges related to falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments made to Daniels by his former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen in the lead-up to the 2016 election.
Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations stemming from the hush money payments he made, apologized in 2021 to Daniels for the “needless pain” he caused.
Daniels has alleged that she and Trump had an affair in 2006—after he had married Melania Trump and had his son, Barron. Trump has sharply denied having the affair.
Daniels, for her part, said in March that she is “absolutely ready” to testify at Trump’s New York trial, telling ABC’s The View that she is “hoping with all of my heart that they call me because… I don’t need someone to speak for me.”
“I relish the day that I get to face him and speak my truth,” she added.
Trump has denounced the entire trial as a politically motivated “witch hunt” designed to hurt his chances in the 2024 election against President Joe Biden. According to recent polling, in head-to-head match-ups nationwide, Trump narrowly leads Biden by an average of just 0.2%.
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