Gingrich: Romney, Trump not compatible on foreign policy

Newt Gingrich suggested Tuesday evening that Mitt Romney, a contender to be Donald Trump’s secretary of State, would not be compatible with the president-elect’s vision for foreign policy. 

“Romney wanted to be in President-elect Trump’s job, and to what degree would Romney, once he became secretary of State, represent himself?” Gingrich said during an interview on Fox News with Tucker Carlson.

The former GOP Speaker questioned if Romney would emulate Secretary of State John Kerry’s “tradition” of going from “five-star hotel to five-star hotel, having nice gourmet dinners with foreign ministers.”

“Trump has to have somebody at State who is very tough and very willing to take on foreign leaders and say ‘Wait a second, I’m here to represent the United States of America.'”

Gingrich also questioned whether Romney’s foreign policy vision aligns with Trump’s, asking, “To what extent would he actually represent the kind of tough-minded ‘America first’ policies that Trump has campaigned on?” 

Gingrich, who competed against Romney during the 2012 Republican presidential race, said that he’s told Trump that “if he picks Romney I’m going to support him.”

However, Gingrich said, “I can think of 20 other people who would be more naturally compatible with the Trump vision of foreign policy.”

Trump is reportedly leaning toward nominating Romney to be the nation’s top diplomat, though some within Trump’s team, including Gingrich, support former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani instead. 

“I think there are huge advantages to Rudy Giuliani frankly,” Gingrich told reporters in Trump Tower in New York on Monday. 

“I think that, if you want someone who is going to go out and be a very tough negotiator for America and represent American interest in the way that Trump campaigned, I think that probably Rudy is the better pick and has the right temperament,” Gingrich said, calling for a “fighter.”