The former US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney does not want to run for senator for the state of Utah a second time in 2024. At the end of another term in office, I would be in my mid-eighties, said the 76-year-old on Wednesday in a video message on the X platform. “To be honest, it is time for a new generation of leaders.” Neither President Joe Biden (80) nor his predecessor Donald Trump (77) would adequately lead their parties on important future issues regarding the national budget and foreign policy, Romney said.
Romney repeatedly opposed the Republican president’s policies during Trump’s term in office. He also voted to impeach Trump in the Senate in 2020 and 2021. Recently, he was increasingly seen as isolated in his party – in which many continue to support Trump. Despite his four upcoming criminal trials, Trump is currently running for his party’s presidential nomination in the election at the end of 2024.
Romney, a Mormon, was governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and lost to Democrat Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election. In November 2018 he won the Senate election in Utah. He began his six-year term in January 2019. Before his political career, he was a successful businessman and is a multimillionaire.
The question of age is now being asked not only by Romney, but also by many voters in the USA – some with a concerned eye on the incumbent politicians. Top Republican politician Mitch McConnell had another misfire at a press conference at the end of August and, to a certain extent, froze during a question and answer session. The 81-year-old was at a loss for words and only after half a minute of silence was he able to compose himself again.
The age of US President Biden is also being discussed; again and again he doesn’t seem to hear questions properly or he stumbles when walking. This doesn’t seem to affect his politics, but the US Republicans are trying to exploit it as best they can. Biden is seeking a second term.