Even before Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney became the sole Senator to vote to convict President Donald Trump for abuse of power in the Senate's impeachment trial against him, Trump and Romney have been at odds.
Never one to give up a grudge, the President scoffed at the news that Romney would be self-quarantining to monitor himself for symptoms of the virus that's caused a public health crisis and largely upended daily life in the United States.
Romney made the decision after his Republican colleague, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky tested positive for the virus. Romney had lunched with his GOP colleague two days before Paul's test result's came in.
Watch Trump's reaction to the news of Romney's quarantine below.
President Trump: "Romney's in isolation?" Reporters: "Yes." President Trump: "Gee, that's too bad." https://t.co/SapHZGSrMl— The Hill (@The Hill) 1584917336.0
Trump smirked and said:
"Gee, that's too bad."
Romney has largely become a pariah in the modern Republican party after his stunning impeachment vote. He was disinvited from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) by the conference's head, who jokingly speculated that Romney would face physical violence. The Senator was also the target of widespread taunts and threats from the President's allies on Twitter after the vote.
Despite Trump's grudge against Romney, people were still disgusted to see the President laugh at the possibility that Romney could have contracted the life-threatening virus.
The president’s daily reminder that yes, he is this much of a scumbag. https://t.co/QDBjE1UTsr— Richard Marx (@Richard Marx) 1584918820.0
And he makes a sarcastic comment about Romney. Even in a national emergency he is a man that shows no compassion, e… https://t.co/0oJ3iDuaWl— Coach Swanny (@Coach Swanny) 1584975479.0
Vile and disgusting moment by Donald Trump re Romney being in isolation. Forget this guy.— David Jolly (@David Jolly) 1584916758.0
You are literally the worst. https://t.co/shM98DKTFp— Jesse Wu (@Jesse Wu) 1584932545.0
At a press conference, Trump is informed that Mitt Romney is in self-isolation. With a slight smile and sarcastic… https://t.co/zVzGb1hzPH— Turnip🐳 (@Turnip🐳) 1584923225.0
Romney's wife, Ann Romney, is immunocompromised with Multiple sclerosis, making Romney's possible contraction even more dangerous to his family. Not to mention, the couple is in their 70s—one of the most vulnerable age groups in the face of the virus.
This only exacerbated the President's pettiness.
Regardless of your feelings on Romney this is nothing short of disgustingly petty. Senator Romney is 73 years old a… https://t.co/7bpn538t6Q— Em 💛 (@Em 💛) 1584976026.0
@maggieNYT Romney’s wife has MS. The virus could be a death sentence. Trump needs to be damned by all Senators for this remark.— IDoveYou (@IDoveYou) 1584916926.0
The President claimed, despite the connotation of his inflection, that he wasn't being sarcastic.
His remark has faced little to no criticism from Republican lawmakers.