Under dimmed cabin lights on a flight from Salt Lake City on Tuesday, a woman bellowed a rallying cry to a group of Trump supporters headed to D.C. to rally behind the president, urging them to tell fellow passenger Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) “what we think.”
“Resign, Mitt!” another shouted.
The video, which went viral on Tuesday, is the latest sign of a growing divide in the Republican Party over President Trump’s false claims of a rigged election, which Romney has pointedly criticized. The incident foreshadows the rancor expected in the nation’s capital this week as thousands of Trump backers arrive to protest Congress certifying the electoral college victory for President-elect Joe Biden.
Romney’s office declined to comment on the incident.
here’s a clip purportedly of Trump “patriots” harassing Sen. Mitt Romney *ON A FLIGHT* on way to DC.
— j.d. durkin (@jiveDurkey) January 6, 2021
our Republic had a decent run. https://t.co/tYs16jlieI
More than a dozen GOP senators said they will object when Congress meets Wednesday to accept Biden’s electoral votes, despite a plea from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to steer clear of a public debate over the legitimacy of the election.
Romney, the GOP presidential candidate in 2012, has been an outspoken critic of the Republican plan to object to the election results, calling the move an “egregious ploy” that “dangerously threatens our Democratic Republic.”
Romney, who didn’t vote for Trump in November, has also bashed the president for pressuring Republicans to reverse the election results and encouraging supporters to protest on Wednesday.
“This has the predictable potential to lead to disruption, and worse,” Romney said in a Sunday statement.
On Tuesday, Romney found himself face-to-face with Trump supporters who turned their ire on him.
Romney was first filmed and heckled inside Salt Lake City International Airport, where a maskless woman approached the senator, who was wearing a mask and looking at his tablet outside the gate. Before she could begin her tirade, Romney told her to cover her face, adding it was required by law.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” the woman responded. But she then complied and asked, “Why aren’t you supporting President Trump?”
“I do support President Trump in things I agree with,” responded Romney, who remained calm throughout the encounter.
Utah Patriots catch Rino Romney at Salt Lake City international airport! He thinks he’s above his constituents!!! Openly bashing @realDonaldTrump!!!
— Qtah (@Utah_17) January 6, 2021
“These people won’t be able to walk down the street.”
VOLUME UP! ☝🏼 pic.twitter.com/Lntgozkajx
The woman disagreed and asked if Romney was going to support Trump’s claims about the “fraudulent votes.”
“No, I’m not,” the senator responded. “We have a Constitution and the constitutional process is clear and I will follow the Constitution, and then I will explain all that when we meet in Congress.”
The senator then closed his tablet and stood up. As he walked away, a man, who was also recording, followed, telling him, “Your legacy is nothing.” The woman yelled: “You’re a joke. Absolute joke.”
My friend’s son confronts the Senator at the airport.
Posted by Rick Stevenson on Tuesday, January 5, 2021
The harassment didn’t end at the gate. On the Delta Air Lines flight, he was heckled by a larger group of Trump supporters, who chanted insults and yelled out conspiracies.
“You don’t listen to your constituents!” a woman shouted. “We want to know your connection to Burisma and Joe Biden, Mitt Romney,” a woman shouted, referring to the Ukrainian gas company whose board Hunter Biden was paid to serve on. In September, Romney opposed a GOP-led investigation into Biden’s son, calling it a “political exercise.”
Delta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video.
The outburst on Romney’s flight was not the only incident of raucous air travel on Tuesday involving Trump supporters headed to Washington.
Another viral video captured a chorus of shouting voices on an American Airlines flight from Texas to D.C. after one passenger projected a “Trump 2020” image onto the plane’s ceiling. When one passenger yelled out insults about Biden, another cursed at them and told them to stop.
Trump supporters began screaming back, accusing the passenger of threatening them.
One man wearing a green camouflage hat and holding an American flag pointed his finger and yelled, “These are the guys we came to f------ wipe out.”
In an effort to restore order, a flight attendant went on the speaker and ordered the angry passengers to get out of the aisle and sit down.
In a statement to The Post, American Airlines said they are reviewing the incident.
“We applaud our outstanding crew members for their professionalism in de-escalating a tense onboard situation and getting our customers to their destination safely,” a spokesman said.