Retiring Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) endorsed Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) for vice president Sunday, contending the “media overreaction” she received following her highly scrutinized and oddly delivered State of the Union rebuttal “tells us who liberals most fear as VP nominee.”
The failed 2012 Republican presidential nominee took to X to defend Britt following a wave of criticism over her rebuttal, which was described by some as “cringe.”
In a good way, the delivery was over-the-top, out of character—Biden’s, of course. Katie Britt’s too. The media overreaction to hers not his tells us who liberals most fear as VP nominee.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) March 10, 2024
“In a good way, the delivery was over-the-top, out of character — Biden’s, of course. Katie Britt’s too,” Romney posted on X before claiming Britt sparks fear in the left as a viable vice-presidential choice. “The media’s overreaction to hers, not his, tells us who liberals most fear as VP nominee.”
Breitbart News’s Hannah Bleau Knudsen noted in her coverage of the rebuttal that, while Britt “appeared to address the right topics on paper, her speaking style and overall delivery completely failed to resonate, prompting critiques all across the board, as many mocked her breathy speech, full of pauses, hushed tones, and abrupt emotional switches from near-tears to happy-go-lucky.”
Sen. @KatieBrittforAL: “Right now, our Commander in Chief is not in command. The free world deserves better than a dithering and diminished leader.” pic.twitter.com/os5i606TeE
— GOP (@GOP) March 8, 2024
Britt’s response has been scrutinized by all spheres of the political spectrum and went so viral that NBC’s Saturday Night Live spoofed it in its cold opening, with actress Scarlett Johansson playing the senator.
After her rebuttal aired Thursday night, Turning Point USA founder and Trump ally Charlie Kirk noted her speech was “not what we need.”
I’m sure Katie Britt is a sweet mom and person, but this speech is not what we need. Joe Biden just declared war on the American right and Katie Britt is talking like she’s hosting a cooking show whispering about how Democrats “dont get it.”
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 8, 2024
“I’m sure Katie Britt is a sweet mom and person, but this speech is not what we need,” Kirk wrote in a post on X. “Joe Biden just declared war on the American right and Katie Britt is talking like she’s hosting a cooking show whispering about how Democrats ‘dont get it.’”
After former President Donald Trump throttled former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Super Tuesday, Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told NBC News the list of potential vice-presidential candidates “is actually growing and getting longer.”
“I think we’re quite a ways away, though, from seeing anything,” Miller said without naming names.
However, Britt was late in endorsing Trump, only backing him in December after months of pressure. In comparison, her colleague, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), endorsed Trump in November 2022, and the entire Alabama Congressional delegation endorsed him in August.
An endorsement from Romney — a top political foe of Trump — on top of the late endorsement and awkward rebuttal likely hurts her chances in the veepstakes — if she is even in them.