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Former Republican presidential nominee and current Utah senator Mitt Romney made headlines this week when he joined the protests against the recent murder of George Floyd by police.
Romney marched with protestors in Washington, D.C. and said of his decision:
"We need to end violence and brutality, and to make sure that people understand that Black lives matter."
He posted selfies of himself at the protest as well.
Black Lives Matter. https://t.co/JpXUFlxH2J— Mitt Romney (@Mitt Romney) 1591569006.0
At a press briefing on Monday, President Donald Trump's latest White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, responded to whether or not her boss agreed with Romney regarding the sentiments behind the protests.
Watch her answer below.
Press Sec. Kayleigh McEnany: "Mitt Romney can say three words outside on Pennsylvania Avenue but I would note this… https://t.co/vHhgvPKteG— The Hill (@The Hill) 1591659900.0
McEnany said:
"Mitt Romney can say three words outside on Pennsylvania Avenue but I would note this -- that President Trump won 8% of the Black vote. Mitt Romney won two percent of the Black vote."
McEnany's claim that Romney won two percent of the Black vote is false.
According to the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, Romney earned six percent of the Black vote—only two points behind Trump in 2016. Unlike Trump, Romney was running against the first Black President of the United States and was faced with higher voter turnout, which tends to benefit Democratic candidates.
But regardless of how much more of the Black vote Trump got compared to Romney, is eight percent anything to brag about?
@thehill Is he supposed to be proud of getting only 8% of the black American vote? I'm pretty good at math. 92% is… https://t.co/YPcoWfmUAy— Andrew Goss 👊USAF👊 (@Andrew Goss 👊USAF👊) 1591666832.0
@thehill When you are proud of losing by 92%— Ned Pyle (@Ned Pyle) 1591663863.0
@ceceyy @DrAcePugh @thehill Imagine saying, with all the confidence of the world, “my candidate lost 92% of the bla… https://t.co/He1JW2ttQJ— Rat King (@Rat King) 1591684987.0
@thehill Trump’s people always seem confused about which individual he’s actually *running against.* Sometimes it’s… https://t.co/tccipdZxRV— Mistress Matisse (@Mistress Matisse) 1591697646.0
@thehill If the score was 92-8, I wouldn’t be bragging that you were on the losing side.— YS (@YS) 1591668869.0
McEnany went on to say:
"People across the country recognize that while Mitt Romney has a lot of words, notably he said that 47 percent of the nation is dependent upon government, believes they are victims, believes that the government has a responsibility to care for them...the President takes great offense to those words."
It's true that Romney's campaign was significantly damaged after a tape leaked of him telling a group of donors nearly half of Americans don't pay taxes and expect government handouts.
One of his defenders in the wake of the scandal, however, was none other than Trump—whom Kayleigh said took great offense at the statement.
Watch below.
Trump on Romney's "47 percent" remarkswww.youtube.com
Trump said:
"I don't think he should be apologizing. It's a point of view, and it's probably something that they have to have out."
The press secretary wasn't telling the truth.
always an adventure, when kayleigh mcenany speaks https://t.co/GAcDoBL4Qn— Tim Murphy (@Tim Murphy) 1591654280.0
@CNN But...but....she said she would never lie to us! 😱😂😂😂😂— Stephanie Roberts (@Stephanie Roberts) 1591670892.0
@CNN Yes, we know: McEnamy is lying again.— Timer 【🇺🇸】 (@Timer 【🇺🇸】) 1591670050.0
A lot has changed since 2012.