Will Mitt Romney Run To Stop Donald Trump?

The Republican Party appears to be doing everything in its power to formulate a strategy to defeat its own front-runner, Donald Trump, and candidates' language has become far more antagonizing of the political newcomer. Officials have even covertly discussed taking the Donald down through a contested convention. That strategy may be enacted through a former presidential nominee, leaving many wondering will Mitt Romney run for president to stop Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention? Romney has stated that he's not interested and would rather place his faith in other candidates like Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, or John Kasich. The odds of Romney running are certainly appearing more hopeful, however.

Following a speech at the University of Utah Thursday, there has been a massive uptick in the likelihood that Romney will return to politics and seek the presidency. PredictIt, a website that tracks the odds of politics across the globe, has noted an increase of 10 percent higher chance that Romney will announce his candidacy as well as an increase in him successfully winning the nomination. The brunt of Romney's speech was dedicated to denouncing Trump, and over the course of his remarks, Romney eviscerated the business mogul, citing his many failed ventures as well as his rather problematic policies regarding immigration and foreign policy.

The former governor of Massachusetts began his speech explicitly stating he wasn't looking to get back into politics, though he certainly had a lot to say about the state of the Republican Party. Romney said:

I’m not here to announce my candidacy for office. And I’m not going to endorse a candidate today. Instead, I would like to offer my perspective on the nominating process of my party... Let me put it very plainly. If we Republicans choose Donald Trump as our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished.

Romney took a page out of John Oliver's #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain playbook, listing off all the businesses with the Trump name that are no longer in existence, including Trump Steaks, Trump University, and Trump Airlines. The 2012 Republican presidential nominee did take the time to praise Trump for his dedication to repealing Obamacare as well as vowing to return jobs from companies who've gone overseas to do their business. He nonetheless called Trump "a phony, a fraud."

The overarching theme of Romney's speech was not only what would be best for the Republican Party as a whole, but what the entire country could benefit from a different nominee. Still, a return to politics for Romney wouldn't necessarily guarantee that the next president will be a Republican. Party insiders have reportedly stated that the GOP is considering using Romney to snatch up delegates from massive states like California as a means to push for that contested convention that's been whispered about since Trump firmly gained momentum.

Those insiders have reportedly claimed that it's highly likely that Romney could win the presidency if he were to enter the political ring and win the nomination. A potential willingness to lose the highest office in the land points to just how much of a threat the Donald has become to the GOP. For that reason alone, Romney is caught between a rock and a hard place. If he's as committed to his message of overall party wellness, then surely the prominent Republican must at least be reconsidering his decision not to run.