Trump, Romney, once bitter rivals, meet, smile, shake hands

“And I think Mr Romney would be quite capable of doing a number of things”, Sessions told reporters after meeting the president-elect at his Trump Tower in Manhattan. He’s also scheduled to meet with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

True, Romney did extend an olive branch to Trump with a phone call to congratulate him for his win, but Trump so far has chosen mostly loyalists for key roles, including Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as chief of staff, Alabama Sen.

Romney, who was the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, lambasted Trump, calling him a “con man” and a “fraud” in a stinging speech in March. Romney’s meeting with Trump in New Jersey is likely to be in private as well, with reporters temporarily holding court in a “drainage ditch”, according to a pool report, as Trump’s aides initially did not allow journalists into the private golf course.

President Barack Obama, addressing the nation on November 9, urged the country to come together after a divisive election season.

Romney was also a fierce critic of Russian Federation during his 2012 run, a move that proved prescient in recent years as Vladimir Putin consolidated his power domestically and launched a muscular foreign policy.Many of Trump’s critics have faulted his refusal to challenge Putin as a worrisome aspect of the president-elect’s embryonic foreign policy.

The meetings come as Trump is starting to appoint top administration officials.

He also met with retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, GOP donor Betsy DeVos and Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools.

In a Saturday morning tweetstorm – a communication method Trump often employed as a candidate but is unprecedented for a president-elect – Trump said Pence was “harassed” Friday night at a NY theater, where he went to see “Hamilton”, a musical about Alexander Hamilton that features a diverse cast and crew. “This should not happen!”

Dixon tweeted back: “Conversation is not harassment sir”.

Romney said that their discussion was “thorough and in-depth”, and that he “appreciates the chance to speak with the president-elect”.

“He’s got personal qualities that you shouldn’t like”, Ruhle said, imitating Romney’s criticisms of Trump during the election. Trump responded by repeatedly referring to Romney as a “loser”.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Friday that the settlement includes a $1 million penalty paid to the state for claiming the program was a “university” even though it did not offer degrees, violating New York education law.

“I think that’s something people have a lot of respect for.when he said ‘Hey, these guys may have been political rivals, maybe we’ve butted heads before, but you know what, now we’re on the same team and we got to go and lead the country, ‘” Miller added.

A fourth prospect, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, was thrust into the mix after she met with the President-elect on Thursday.

Trump appeared to send a definitive signal on Friday when he announced he plans to nominate Sen.

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions – who has angered many with his hardline policies on immigration and position on gay rights – was appointed as attorney general, and Kansas congressman Mike Pompeo was picked to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

Mr Trump also named retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as his national security adviser.

The selections form the first outlines of Trump’s Cabinet and national security teams.

Given Trump’s lack of experience in foreign policy, and a leadership style that promises to be heavily reliant on his subordinates, Romney could see the chance of wide autonomy in setting United States foreign policy as attractive.

Advertisement

On the stump, Trump repeatedly argued that Japan should pay a larger share of the costs for U.S. military bases on its soil and even suggested the country should shoulder a greater burden of its defense against the aggressive actions of North Korea and provocations from China. Sessions, who is best known for his hard-line immigration views, has questioned whether terror suspects should benefit from the rights available in USA courts. Mr Pompeo has said Muslim leaders are “potentially complicit” in attacks if they do not denounce violence carried out in the name of Islam.