Mitt Romney says he isn't encouraging Liz Cheney to run for president: 'She would not become the nominee'

• After her Wyoming primary loss, Rep. Liz Cheney may be considering a 2024 presidential bid.
• Sen. Mitt Romney previously told Insider he "wouldn't be surprised to see her run for president."
• But on Thursday he told Utah's Desert News he doesn't think she would win the GOP nomination and shouldn't run.

After losing her Wyoming primary to Trump-endorsed lawyer Harriet Hageman, Rep. Liz Cheney says she is "thinking about" a 2024 presidential run. 

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah told Insider's Oma Seddiq on August 3 that he "wouldn't be surprised to see her run for president." The senator also hosted fundraisers on her behalf before her primary loss.

But on Thursday Romney told Desert News on Thursday he wouldn't push her to run.

"I'm not going to encourage anyone to run for president. I've done that myself, and that's something I'm not doing again. I don't know if she really wants to do that," Romney said. "She would not become the nominee if she were to run. I can't imagine that would occur."

—Byron York (@ByronYork) August 19, 2022

 

Romney also said Trump would most certainly receive the GOP nomination should he announce another presidential bid.

"I don't think someone who is seen outside the Trump circle would have any realistic chance of becoming the nominee in 2024, barring something I can't foresee at this stage," he told Desert News. "If he doesn't run again, I think it'll be people who either were supporters of his or people who didn't say much about him and then would be open to become the nominee."

Cheney, a pro-impeachment Republican and member of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, has repeatedly challenged Trump and has expressed that she will not be stopping her criticism anytime soon.

"I salute her courage. You wouldn't call it courage, by the way, if there were no consequence for doing what you think is right. She did what she thought was right. I believe she was right," Romney told Desert News when asked about Cheney facing-off with a Trump-endorsed candidate.

Romney also noted that he was "not in collaboration" with Cheney running for president for any reasons other than trying to secure the Republican nomination.