Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, said at a dinner in Washington on Thursday night that he had no intention of supporting presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and said he was "dismayed" by what he saw as a drift toward "demagoguery and populism" in both parties.
Romney also praised the leadership of House Speaker Paul Ryan, his 2012 running mate, who earlier on Thursday declared that he wasnot ready to support Trump. Romney said he'd love to see Ryan run for president, but that he's needed in the House at this time.
Though Romney at times sounded like an independent candidate, doling out criticism of both parties and decrying a leadership vacuum of people with the right mix of experience and character, he dismissed the idea that he'd run.
Romney was in attendance at an awards gala for American Friends of The Hebrew University, which supports the university located in Israel's capital city, Jerusalem. The former Massachusetts governor fielded questions from official from the organization.
"I see way too much demagoguery and populism on both sides of the aisle and I only hope and aspire that we'll see more greatness," Romney said