Romney booed during speech to Utah GOP convention

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was booed on Saturday at the beginning of his speech at the Utah Republican Party’s organizing convention.

Video of the speech published by The Salt Lake Tribune captured the crowd cheering loudly as Romney asked how people felt about President Biden’s first 100 days in office.

While some attendees could be seen standing and applauding, loud boos also could be heard. 

The boos became louder after Romney, a frequent critic of former President Trump, suggested that he wasn’t a fan of Trump’s “character issues.”

“So, what do you think about President Biden’s first 100 days?” Romney asked.

“You know me as a person who says what he thinks, and I don’t hide the fact that I wasn’t a fan of our last president’s character issues,” Romney said, garnering more boos. 

As the boos grew louder, Romney asked, “Aren’t you embarrassed?”

However, Utah GOP Chairman Derek Brown asked the crowd to show respect for Romney, who proceeded to finish his speech. 

The incident is another example of the grip the former president has on the Republican Party and the treatment Romney, a moderate member of the GOP, has faced for his criticisms and rebukes of Trump. 

During the convention, the Utah GOP narrowly voted against a resolution to censure Romney, according to a vote tally published by KUTV News reporter Michael Locklear.

#BREAKING: Utah Republicans vote NOT to censure @SenatorRomney for his Trump impeachment vote.
711 for
798 against pic.twitter.com/WbJDTjUmFd

— Michael Locklear (@MichaelLocklear) May 1, 2021

According to the proposal, the resolution expressed displeasure with Romney’s votes to impeach Trump and public criticism of the former president.

Romney was also one of seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump for inciting the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. 

The Senate ultimately voted 57-43 to acquit the former president, failing to meet the 67-vote threshold to convict.

Romney is not facing reelection in 2022. 

The Utah senator voted to convict Trump on one of two articles of impeachment during the former commander in chief’s first impeachment trial in 2020.  

Romney voted to convict the former president of abuse of power but joined Republicans in voting to acquit Trump of the charge of obstruction of Congress. Trump was ultimately acquitted on both charges.

The move by Romney garnered backlash from the party and Trump himself.