A Utah GOP official stepped in to quiet the crowd when a chorus of boos greeted Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney at the party’s convention Saturday.
The crowd initially cheered for Romney, but their mood quickly changed when he criticized the character of former President Donald Trump. (RELATED: Mitt Romney Receives JFK ‘Profile In Courage’ Award For Voting To Impeach Donald Trump)
Sen. Mitt Romney is booed by Utah Republicans at their state convention #utpol #utgop pic.twitter.com/FLi1W6iZ9L
— Bryan Schott (@SchottHappens) May 1, 2021
Romney began by asking the audience what they thought of President Joe Biden’s first 100 days, and then immediately pivoted to talk about Trump.
“I’m a man who says what he means, and you know I was not a fan of our last president’s character issues,” he said before he was interrupted by a chorus of boos. The catcalls continued as Romney tried to regain control, asking, “Aren’t you embarrassed?”
He attempted to make a comparison then, saying that he was also not a fan of Biden’s agenda, but the crowd continued to shout over him.
When the booing did not stop, outgoing party chair Derek Brown walked to the lectern and addressed the crowd.
“My friends, this is the moment I was talking about,” Brown said. “Show respect.”
“You can boo all you like,” Romney said once he returned to the microphone. “I’ve been a Republican all of my life. My dad was the governor of Michigan and I was the Republican nominee for president in 2012.”
The crowd also booed Gov. Spencer Cox, but gave a standing ovation to Sen. Mike Lee.
“Their whole agenda is wrapped up around one idea: unquestionable trust in government,” Lee said of Biden’s agenda.
