Trump An Obstacle In Mitt Romney's Utah Senator Run

President Donald Trump is aiming to block Republican and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s run for Utah's senator by trying to convince seven-term state Sen. Orrin Grant Hatch to seek re-election.

Romney was planning to run for the position held by Hatch, on the assumption the senator would retire, according to a report by Politico. However, the 83-year-old politician's refusal to leave the office has resulted in Romney’s inner circle blaming Trump by claiming that the president is not comfortable with the idea of the former presidential candidate becoming a senator.

In the report, Romney said it was Hatch himself who recommended him to run for the position but is now unsure of his own decision to retire. The Republicans who discussed the matter with Romney recently said they are convinced Trump wants to keep the former Massachusetts senator out of the race.

The report also stated Trump’s behind-the-scenes plan to influence Hatch to run for re-election will be on display Monday during the president’s trip to Salt Lake City, where he is expected to show his support for the senator.

According to three White House officials, Trump will be making a nine-hour round trip journey on Air Force One with Hatch. They also said both politicians are expected to meet Mormon leaders immediately after reaching Utah, and then will proceed to the state capitol where Trump will reportedly sign the executive order to reduce the size of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand-Staircase Escalante national monuments.

The report also stated two senior administration officials who said Trump’s favor for Hatch is not only for blocking Romney, but also because Hatch defended the president during a turbulent time when an “Access Hollywood” video tape leaked, which showed the POTUS bragging about sexually assaulting women. Hatch had backed Trump even though members of Utah Republican delegation dialed back their support for the then presidential candidate.

The report stated in more recent times, Hatch also played a pivotal role in passing Trump’s tax reform bill through the Senate.

According to Trump deputies, the president’s relationship with Hatch began before Romney planned of being Utah's senator. They said Hatch visited Trump during the first week of his presidency where they spoke about Utah’s national monuments and the then unoccupied seat of the Supreme Court.

On the other hand, Romney has been quite vocal about his opposition to Trump in the past. This is one of the reasons why Trump might not want him as a senator. During the 2016 campaign for Trump’s presidency, Romney was the de-facto leader of Grand Old Party’s (GOP) “Never Trump” campaign. He also gave a speech where he said Trump didn't have the "temperament to be president." Romney added if the GOP nominated Trump as a presidential candidate then “prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished.”

Kirk Jowers, former chairman and general counsel of Romney’s political action committee, said, “Hatch is a known entity for Trump and has been really good for the president for the most part. … He [Trump] knows for a fact he's not going to get that with Romney. I don't know that he knows what he's going to get with Romney, but it's not going to be what he's got with Hatch."

In a November report of Politico, it was reported Romney had started his preparations in full flow to run for the position of Utah's senator. He reportedly met with Utah’s GOP power brokers, and also communicated with the state’s political donors. Romney was also reported to be raising money for the House and Senate Republicans, which won him the support of GOP leaders.