Trump on Romney in 2012: 'He Would Have Dropped to His Knees'

In a speech responding to former Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s attack on him earlier today, Trump declared that Romney was “so desperate” in 2012 that he would have been willing to abase himself entirely before The Donald to receive his endorsement.

He was begging for my endorsement. I could have said, “Mitt, drop to your knees,” and he would have dropped to his knees. He was begging me.

Trump: @MittRomney “was begging for my endorsement,” he “could have dropped to his knees” https://t.co/XtexGjG9PC https://t.co/j4CYkoHMLw

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 3, 2016

Yes, you read that right — Donald Trump just declared, on national television, that Romney would have knelt before him to win his endorsement. He may have been implying something further, but we would like to give Trump the benefit of the doubt here.

Trump was responding to a speech Romney gave this morning (full text here), calling Trump a “phony” and a “fraud”:

Here’s what I know. Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He’s playing the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat.

His domestic policies would lead to recession. His foreign policies would make America and the world less safe. He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president. And his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be a shining city on a hill.

Trump responded by calling Romney “a disaster.” Despite endorsing the former Massachusetts governor in 2012, The Donald declared that “he ran a horrible campaign — it was a campaign that never should have been launched.” Trump explained that the only reason he endorsed Romney was that “I am not a fan of Barack Obama.”

The Donald made this declaration in Maine, and it is likely he is just getting started when it comes to attacking Romney. Let’s grab some popcorn.