Mitt Romney criticises Trump's character in scathing attack op-ed

Trump's 'words and actions have caused dismay around the world,' former presidential candidate writes

Trump greets Romney after endorsing his candidacy for president at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas in February 2012 (Reuters)

Mitt Romney, the former Republican presidential candidate and incoming senator for Utah, has strongly criticised Donald Trump and said the US president’s “words and actions have caused dismay around the world”.

In an article for The Washington Post, Mr Romney said while he did not have a problem with all of Mr Trump’s policies, he believed the president has not “risen to the mantle of the office”, and cited Mr Trump’s behaviour over the last month.

“With the nation so divided, resentful and angry, presidential leadership in qualities of character is indispensable. And it is in this province where the incumbent’s shortfall has been most glaring,” the piece says.

The attack illustrates Mr Romney’s move to stake out an independent position ahead of taking office on Thursday this week.

The pair have previously exchanged strong words. During Mr Trump’s 2016 election campaign, Mr Romney derided him as a “fraud”, who was “playing the American public for suckers”.

Mr Trump responded at the time, saying Mr Romney had “choked like a dog” in his 2012 election effort which he lost to Barack Obama.

Despite the apparent disharmony, after the 2016 election, Mr Trump reportedly considered asking Mr Romney to be his secretary of state.

And last February Mr Trump endorsed Mr Romney’s run for a senate seat for Utah.

In his article, Mr Romney also cites statistics indicating Mr Trump’s unpopularity abroad.

“The world is watching,” he writes, before noting in 2016, during Mr Obama’s presidency, “84 per cent of people in Germany, Britain, France, Canada and Sweden believed the American president would ‘do the right thing in world affairs’.”

“One year later that had fallen to 16 per cent.”

Mr Romney indicated as a senator he will challenge Mr Trump, saying he “will speak out against significant statements or actions that are divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions.”

He has strongly defended press freedom and challenged the president’s repeated attacks on some news outlets as an “enemy of the people”.

“The media is essential to our republic, to our freedom, to the cause of freedom abroad, and to our national security. It is very much our friend,” Mr Romney wrote in an essay in November.

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Agencies contributed to this report