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now. these are pictures coming in from the university of utah. we are awaiting to hear from the former republican presidential candidate, mitt romney. he is expected to deliver a scathing attack on donald trump. romney, of course being the latest member of the g.o.p. establishment to take aim at trump. trump winning several states on super-tuesday, and has a huge lead in the delegate count. romney has been vocal before about his dislike of trump. but nothing like this. exceptss -- excerpts being released earlier, saying, quote: trump taking aim at romney in response this morning.

>> he failed at his campaign. republicans didn't even go out to vote. he was a disaster the last month, month and a half. it was almost like he was lost, and he ran one of the worst campaigns as you know in presidential history. that was an election that should have been won by the republicans. he was a catastrophe. >> donald trump backed mitt romney when romney ran for president in 2012. these live images coming out of utah where mitt romney will be speaking in just a few minutes. until today, both men appearing to be quite fond of each other. we will take you live now to salt lake city, utah. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. thank you, jason, and thank you to the hinckley institute, governor, lieutenant governor, president, it's good to be with you today. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you.

all right. now i'm -- i'm not here to announce my candidacy for office. [ laughter ] >> and i'm not going to endorse a candidate today. instead i would like to offer my perspective on the nominating process of my party. back in 1964, just days before the presidential election, which incidentally we lost, ronald reagan went on national television and challenged america, saying that it was a time for choosing. he sought two paths for america, one that embraced conservative principles dedicated to lifting people out of poverty and creating opportunity for all, and the other an oppressive government that would lead america down a darker less-free path. i'm no ronald reagan, and this is a different moment in time, but i believe with all of my heart and soul that we face another time for choosing, one

that will have profound consequences for the republican party, and more importantly, for our country. i say this, in part because of my conviction that america is poised to lead the world for another century. our technology engines, our innovation dynamic, the ambition and skill of our people are going to propel our economy and raise the standard of living of americans. america will remain as it is today, the envoy of the world. you may have seen warren buffet, he said, and i think he's 100% right, that the babies being born in america today are the luckiest crop in history. now that doesn't mean we don't have real problems, and serious challenges. we do. at home poverty persists, and wages are stagnant. the horrific massacres of paris and san bernardino, the nuclear ammunitions of the iranians, the

aggressions of putin, the growing assertiveness of china, and the nuclear tests of north korea, confirm we live in troubled and dangerous times, but if we make the right choices, america's future will be even better than our past, and better than our present. on the other hand, if we make improvident choices, the bright horizon i have described will not materialize. if we republicans choose donald trump as our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished. let me explain why i say that, first on the economy. if donald trump's plans were ever implemented, the country would sink into prolonged recession. a few examples. his proposed 35% tariff-like penalties would instigate a grade war and raise prices for

consumers, kill our export jobs, and lead entrepreneurs and businesses of all stripes to flee america. his tax plan in combination with his refusal to reform entitlements, and honestly address spending would balloon the deficit and the national debt. so even though donald trump has offered very few specific economic plans, what little he has said is enough to know he would be very bad for american workers and families. but you say, wait, wait, wait. isn't he a huge business success? doesn't he know what he is talking about? no, he isn't. and no, he doesn't. [ cheers and applause ] >> look, his -- his bankruptcies have crushed small businesses and the men and woman who work for them. he inherited his business. he didn't create it. and whatever happened to trump

airlines? how about trump university? and trump magazine, and trump vodka, and trump steaks, and trump mortgage? a business genius he is not. [ laughter ] >> now not every policy that donald trump has floated is bad, of course, he wants to repeal and replace obamacare. he wants to bring jobs home from china and japan, but his prescriptions to do those things are flimsy at best. successfully bringing jobs home requires serious policy and reforms that make america the place businesses want to come, plant, and grow. you can't punish business into doing what you want. frankly, the only serious policy proposals that deal with a brood range of national challenges we confront today come from ted cruz, marco rubio, and john kasich.

one of these men should be our nominee. [ cheers and applause ] >> now i know that some people want this race to be over. they look at history, and say, a trend like mr. trump's suspe suspect -- isn't going to be stopped. perhaps. but the rules of political history have pretty much all been shredded during this campaign. if the other candidates with find common ground, i believe we have find a person who event the values and policies of conservatism. that means i would vote for marco rubio in florida and for john kasich in ohio, and for ted cruz or whichever one of the other two contenders has the best chance of beating mr. trump in a given state. let me turn to national security. mr. trump's bombast is already alarming our allies and fuelling

the anger of our enemies. assaulting all muslims will keep many of them from fully engaging us in the urgent fight against isis. what he said -- and 60 minutes, did you hear this? it has to go down as the most ridiculous and dangerous idea of the entire campaign season. let isis take out assad, he said. and then we can pick up the remnants. think about that. let the most dangerous terror organization the world has ever known take over an entire country. this recklessness is recklessness in the extreme. donald trump tells us he is very, very smart. [ laughter ] >> i'm afraid when it comes to foreign policy, he is very, very not smart. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ]

now i'm far from the first to conclude that donald trump lacks the temperament to be president. after all, this is an individual who mocked a disabled reporter, who abtributed a reporters questions to her menstrual cycle. who mocked a brilliant rival who happens to be a woman due to her appearance. who bragged about his marital affairs and laces his public speeches with vulgarity. he says he admires vladimir putin at the same time he has called george w. bush a liar. that's an twisted example of evil trumping good. [ applause ] there's a dark irony in his boasts of his sexual exploits during the vietnam war, while at

the same time, john mccain, whom he has mocked was imprisoned and tortured. dishonesty is donald trump's hallmark. he claimed that he had spoken clearly and boldly against going into iraq. wrong. he spoke in favor of invading iraq. he said he saw thousands of muslims in new jersey celebrating 9/11. wrong. he saw no such thing. he imagined it. he's not of the temperament of the kind of stable, thoughtful person we need as leader. the president of the united states has long been the leader of the free world. the president and, yes, even the nominees of the country's great parties help define america to billions of people around the world. all of them bare the responsibility of being an example for our children and our

grandchildren. think of donald trump's personal qualities. the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the massageny, the observe third grade theatrics. you know, we have long referred to him at the donald. he is the only person in the entire country to whom we have added an article before his name, and it wasn't because he had attributes we admired. [ laughter ] >> imagine your children and your grandchildren acting the way he does. would you welcome that? haven't we seen before what happens when people in prominent positions fail the basic responsibility of honorable conduct. we have. and it always injuries our families, and our country. watch by the way how he responds to my speech today. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ]

>> will he talk about our pollty differences? or will he attack me with every imaginable low-road insult. this may tell you what you need to know about his temperament, stability, and suitability to be president. mr. trump relishes any poll that reflects what he thinks of himself. but polls are also saying that he will lose to hillary clinton. think about that. on hillary clinton's watch the state department, when she was guiding it, and part of the obama administration, that state department watched as america's interests were diminished at every corner of the world. she compromised our national secrets. she jettisoned her most profound

beliefs to gain presidential power. the clintons have lived at the intersection of money and politics, trading their political influence to enrich their personal finances. they embody the term crony capitalism. it disgusts the american people and causes them to lose faith in our political process. a person so dishonest as hillary clinton must not become president. [ cheers and applause ] >> of course a trump nomination enables her victory, and the audio and video of the infamous trump exchange on the ku klux

klan will play a hundred thousand times on cable and who knows how many million times on social media. there are a number of people who claim that mr. trump is a con man, a fake. thank you. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] >> let me say that again, there's plenty of evidence that mr. trump is a con man, a fake. mr. trump has changed his positions not just over the years, but over the course of the campaign, and on the ku klux klan for three days in a row. we will only really know if he is a real deal or a phony he releases his tax return and the cape of the interview with the "new york times." i predict there are more bomb shells in its tax returns. i predict he doesn't give much of anything to the disabled and

veterans. i predict that he told the "new york times" that his immigration talk is just that, talk. and i predict despite his promise to do so, first made over a year ago, that he will never ever release his tax returns. never. not the returns under audit, not even the returns that are no longer being audited. he has too much to hide. nor will he authorize the release of the tapes that we made with the "new york times." if i'm right, you'll have all of the proof you need to know that donald trump is indeed a phony. attacking me as he surely will won't prove him any less of a phony. it's entirely in his hands to prove me wrong. all he has to do is release his back taxes like he said he would, and let us know what he said behind closed doors to the "new york times." ronald reagan used to quote a

scottish philosopher. and john adams wrote this: remember democracy never lasts long. it soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. there never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. that's john adams. i believe that america has proven these dire predictions wrong for two reasons. first, we have been blessed with great presidents, with giants among us, men of character integrity, and selflessness have lead our nation from the very beginning. none were perfect, each surely made mistakes, but in every case they acted out of the desire to do what was right for america and for the cause of freedom. the second reason is because

we're blessed with great people. people who at every critical moment of choosing have put the interests of the country above their own. these two things are related. our presidents time and again have called on us to rise to the occasion. john f. kennedy asked us to consider what we could do for our country. lincoln drew upon the better angels of our nature. i understand the anger americans feel today. in the past our presidents have channelled that anger and forged it into resolve, into endurance and high purpose, and into the will to defeat the enemies of freedom. our anger was transferred into energy directed for good. mr. trump is directing our anger for less than noble purposes. he creates scapegoats of muslims and mexican immigrants. he calls for the use of torture. he calls for killing the

innocent children and family members of terrorists. he cheers assaults on protesters. he applauds the prospect of twisting the constitution to limit first amendment freedom of the press. this is the very brand of anger that has lead other nations into the abyss. here is what i know. donald trump is a phony, a fraud. his promises are as worthless as a degree from trump university. [ cheers and applause ] >> he is playing the members of the american public for suckers. he gets a free ride to the white house, and all we get is a lousily hat. his domestic policies would lead to recession. his foreign policies would make

america and the world less safe. he has norther the temperament, nor the judgment to be president, and his personal qualities would mean that america would cease to be a shining city on a hill. i'm convinced america has greatness ahead, and this is a time for choosing. god bless us to choose a nominee who will make that vision a reality. thank you, and god bless you all. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> you have been listening to mitt romney. that is the former republican nominee for president talking about the current g.o.p. front runner. mitt romney began by saying i believe we face in all of my heart a time of choosing, saying we live in troubled times, and we must make the right choices. going on to say if we republicans choose donald trump for nominee, the prospects for a great future in this nation are diminished. saying if donald trump is elected the country will sink

into recession, leading to trade wars, and entrepreneur will be fleeing america. but the most scathing attack was when he talked about donald trump as a successful businessman. take a listen. >> even though donald trump has offered very few specific economic plans what little he has said is enough to know that he would be very bad for american workers and american families. you say, wait, wait, wait. isn't he a huge business success? doesn't he know what he's talking about? no, he isn't. and no he doesn't. [ cheers and applause ] >> and it got worse, david shuster, and i remind our audience that this is a republican talking about a republican. the democrats supported all of that, and the campaign ads are already being made. >> it's also extraordinary, when you think about mitt romney got an endorse by donald trump just

four years ago. that's very different from saying well, he did not earn his business. he inherited it. mitt romney never addressed his previous comments praising donald trump. republicans are in agreement for the most part that donald trump is simply unacceptable. that he must be contained. so the question is do you contain him by defeating him or do you contain him by trying to work and influence him. >> some will point out 5 million people have gone to the polls and cast their ballot. so is this the republican establishment that is upset or the republican electorate. >> there are some members of both who have chosen the idea we must defeat him. for example, ronald reagan's education secretary has already said i'm used to being the moral scold, but trump is winning fair

and square so why should the nomination be grabbed with him. but you are seeing some remembers of the republican establishment, some members outside of the establishment who say donald trump is simply not acceptable. this is our last best effort to try to defeat him. they are lining up money, and ads, they threw together mitt romney's his illy put together speech. this is part of the last gasp of those who say donald trump must be defeated. again, there is a divide in this the republican party. some republicans say it is too late. you cannot do this now. the time for mitt romney choosing to make this speak should have been in december or january before the votes are were being cast. everybody is in agreement that they don't like trump, the question is how do you mitigate that? do you mitigate it by defeating him or influencing him. >> let's listen a little bit more on the speech on the issue

of national security. take a listen to what happened when mitt romney talked about donald trump as a threat to the national security of the united states. >> let me turn to national security in the safety of our homes and loved ones. mr. tromp's bombast is already alarming our allies and fuelling the hatred of our enemies. insulting all muslims will keep many of them from fully engaging with us in their urgent fight against isis, and for what purpose? muslim terrorists would only have to lie about their religion to enter the country. >> donald trump has campaigned on making america great and keeping america safe. mitt romney is saying in no uncertain terms that what donald trump is saying is going to hurt america. will that make a difference among the people who are lining up by the thousands to hear him speak and to cast their ballot?

>> bobby jindal was one of the first to get out. jeb bush delivered some harsh comments about donald trump, and he is out of the race. lindsey graham even called donald trump a jack ass. he was one of the first to get out. so if you look at the past couple of months you could predict that donald trump has tapped into something that the establishment may not like, but it is bringing out record number of republicans to these speeches. can mitt romney turn it around? probably not. but the republicans think they might be able to do -- and this is very dangerous, somehow, if they can get marco rubio and john kasich to win their winner take all states of florida and ohio, and alternating victories with donald trump it's conceivable that donald trump would not have the majority of the delegates needs, and then the question is can they

convince all of the degaits that go with donald trump, don't go with him. if they do that, then they might lose the election. >> isn't mitt romney going to push back -- i mean donald trump going to push back against mitt romney and say isn't this the guy that endorsed me back in 2012. and i believe we have that sound of mitt romney accepting the endorsement of donald trump. take a listen to this. >> it's my honor, real honor, and privilege to endorse mitt romney. [ cheers and applause ] >> there are some things that you just can't imagine happening in your life. this is one of them. [ laughter ] >> being in donald trump's magnificent hotel and having his endorsement is a delight. i'm so honored and pleased to have his endorsement. >> there are a lot of

republicans who are so angry at barack obama, but they are also angry at mitt romney for losing the 2012 election. so you look at that, and say, should we now listen to mitt romney as far as guidance as to what to do with our nominee in 2016? that's the rub against mitt romney. and i think that's why there's a ceiling to what mitt romney is trying to do today. donald trump has started a revolution on the right. a lot of republicans recognize it is too late to stop. donald trump won seven states on super-tuesday. john kasich hasn't won one, and marco rubio has only won one. >> but on one side we're talking about a nominee that has enough votes to win the nomination, on the other side we have a nominee who says ban muslims, is that

what the republican party wants to represent? >> the republican party wants to win. >> at all costs. >> they would prefer that donald trump do it in a more classic -- a classy fashion, but again, if donald trump can bring new voters to the republican ranks, there are a number of republicans who say let's try to influence him over the rest of this campaign, as opposed to going for the jugular. >> 15 seconds left, did what happen today move the needle for any candidate? >> no. it might help marco rubio or john kasich, but donald trump is still beating marco rubio by double digits. he is still beating john kasich in ohio according to some polls. a lot of republicans are wise to recognize there is no way to stop him, all we can do is influence him. >> more on donald trump and the republican party tonight.

and more news straight ahead.

>> we are dying and sorry. frustration and despair among refugees trapped on the greek side of the border with macedonia. ♪ hello from me david foster, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also in this program, north korea launches six missiles into the sea hours after the u.n. approves tough new sanctions. a new piece of debris which could be from me missing flight