The former Republican US presidential candidate and incoming senator for Utah Mitt Romney has launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump, saying he has caused dismay around the world.
Writing in the Washington Post, he said Mr Trump had not “risen to the mantle” of the presidency.
Mr Romney has been fiercely critical of Mr Trump before but won his backing for his run in Utah.
There has been no response yet from the US president.
He has previously attacked Mr Romney as a “failed candidate” and his manager for the 2020 presidential campaign accused him of jealousy.
The timing of the article, just two days before Mr Romney is sworn in, prompted some to speculate he was positioning himself as a challenger to Mr Trump securing the Republican presidential nomination.
Mr Romney’s article has been widely discussed and covered across US media. Several outlets suggested that Mr Romney was positioning himself to be Mr Trump’s leading critic in Congress.
The New York Times even said much of the essay “sounded like the makings of a primary challenge against Mr. Trump from Mr. Romney”.
On social media some praised Mr Romney, others said he should have gone further. Conservative commentators and pro-Trump writers have accused him of duplicity and opportunism.
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Source: BBC