Romney questions President Trump’s character

WASHINGTON: Incoming Senator Mitt Romney has written a scathing op-ed targeting President Donald Trump, saying he "has not risen to the mantle of the office" and his actions have alienated America's allies.

The barbed remarks from the 2012 Republican presidential candidate came as he and other lawmakers prepare take up their seats in the new Congress.

"With the nation so divided, resentful and angry, presidential leadership in qualities of character is indispensable," Romney wrote in the op-ed piece in The Washington Post on Tuesday.

"And it is in this province where the incumbent's shortfall has been most glaring."

He added that Trump's actions had caused "dismay around the world" and alienated traditional allies in Europe. His comments seemed to suggest Romney is positioning himself to take over the role of Jeff Flake, a departing senator who was a vocal critic of Trump. The US leader responded the next morning in a relatively restrained tweet.