Eric Fehrnstrom, a Former Senior Advisor to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, is strumming his political guitar.

The Republican political analyst and media strategist says his former boss, Mitt Romney,  is the scapegoat for Donald Trump’s rise to political prominence.

He says Romney was given the label because he accepted Trump’s endorsement while he was running for president back in 2012.

Fehrnstrom wrote a column about the scapegoating theory, which was published in the Boston Globe, where he is a contributor.(see article here)

He spoke with WGBH Morning Edition Bob Host, about Romney, Trump and the 2016 presidential election race.

Fehrnstrom explains it this way. He says, “Romney had no choice but to accept Trump’s endorsement to keep him from throwing his hat into the 2012 ring, as an independent. He says Romney did this to keep Trump’s politics out of the spotlight.”

Fehrnstrom says there’s enough scapegoating to go around within members of both parties, and he extends part of that responsibility for Trump’s victories with Hillary Clinton, as well.

 “Trump supported Clinton in the 2008 Democratic Primary, he donated to her political campaigns, and she (Clinton,) sat in the front pew at Trump’s wedding to his third wife, Melania.”

The reason for Trumps success is because people are voting for him, says Fehrnstrom, who is studying theology at Boston College.

He attributes Trump’s success to being the lone Republican candidate who is, “anti-immigration, anti-free trade, and who behaves like a political outsider.”

Fehrnstrom tells Seay that Romney spoke out against Trump back on March 3, 2016 as a party leader. “He was making an appeal to Republicans to elect a main –stream, conservative with an even temperament, who has the capabilities and skills to lead the country.” He says he was proud of Romney for taking the stand.

Fehrnstrom says it’s likely Trump will obtain the majority of delegates he needs to become the nominee on the first ballot at the GOP convention in Cleveland, Ohio in July.

He says while it’s possible the anti-trump people can split off and create a further divide within the party; it’s unlikely based on history. He says if the party doesn’t unify, and it may take longer to rally unity due to anti-trump sentiment, that leaves the door wide-open for a win for Hillary Clinton in the general election.

 

To listen to the extended interview with Fehrnstrom and Morning Edition host bob Seay, click on the audio file above.