Exclusive: Mitt Romney Says Trump Is “Such a Whack Job”

Romney’s Regrets • Momentum in Georgia • Disconcerting Speaker [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( Exclusive: Mitt Romney Says Trump Is “Such a Whack Job” Good morning from the Hive newsroom. Mitt Romney has some regrets. That’s according to McKay Coppins, the author of Romney: A Reckoning, who sat down for an interview with Brian Stelter on the [latest episode]( of Inside the Hive to discuss the outgoing senator’s complicity in his party’s trajectory. After Trump called Romney “a total loser” over the book’s release, Romney, as Coppins recounts, had a searing response: “I sent that statement to Mitt and hold on, I want to, I’ll just pull up the text. He wrote back, ‘Ha, ha, ha. He’s such a whack job.’” In other news about Trumpworld, Chris Smith [familiarizes]( us with a lieutenant on Fani Willis’s prosecution team who is undaunted by grisly cases and is known to instill fear in defendants. Plus, Bess Levin [rounds up]( House Speaker Mike Johnson’s concerning views on, well, everything. Thanks for reading. [Exclusive: Mitt Romney Says Trump Is “Such a Whack Job”]( By [Brian Stelter]( [The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins discusses his new biography of the Utah senator, who is wrestling with the GOP’s Trumpian trajectory—and his complicity in it.]( [Read more button](   [The Prosecutor in Georgia’s Election Case Who Could Instill Real Fear in Defendants]( By [Chris Smith]( [A trio of Trump’s former lawyers pleaded guilty. Fani Willis’s lieutenant, Daysha Young, is just getting started.]( [Read more button](   [Election Denial, “Sexual Anarchy,” Noah’s Ark: All the Mike Johnson Details We Regret to Inform You About]( By [Bess Levin]( [There’s a lot that’s concerning!]( [Read more button](   [At Least 6 Trump Codefendants Have Been in Plea Talks With Georgia Prosecutors: Report]( By [Caleb Ecarma]( [And it doesn’t look like Rudy Giuliani is one of them.]( [Read more button](   [Stephen Colbert Doesn’t Know Who the Hell Mike Johnson Is Either]( By [Chris Murphy]( [The Late Show host dug into the new Speaker of the House, asking the question on everyone’s minds: “Who is Mike Johnson?”]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2023 Condé Nast