Brace yourself, dear reader, for the shock of the century. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who put a smile on millions of faces by declaring he would not seek re-election, recently indicated that he would rather vote for a Democrat in the upcoming 2024 presidential election than support former President Donald Trump or entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

During an interview with CBS’s Norah O’Donnell, he opined on the 2024 field and indicated that nearly any candidate would be an “upgrade” over Trump serving another term.

When O’Donnell asked Romney who he likes in the Republican field, he answered:

Anybody. I'd be happy to support virtually any one of the Republicans, maybe not Vivek, but the others that are running would be acceptable to me, and I'd be happy to vote for them. I'd be happy to vote for a number of the Democrats too, would be an upgrade, in my opinion, from Donald Trump and perhaps also from Joe Biden.

Mitt Romney says he'd rather support a Democrat over Trump or Ramaswamy.

"I'd be happy to support virtually any one of the Republicans, maybe not Vivek...I'd be happy to vote for a number of the Democrats too, would be an upgrade, in my opinion, from Donald Trump" pic.twitter.com/Gs1W5BIanR

— Jeff Charles, An Awful Pundit🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) November 26, 2023

Romney continued, saying that he likes President Joe Biden and finds him to be “a very charming, engaging person.”

"There are some places I agree with him, but most places I disagree with him. I think he's made all sorts of terrible mistakes, but I would like to see someone else."

The senator and failed presidential candidate also said, “It’s time for a new generation of leaders” who need to “make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in.”

Romney was one of the loudest voices against Trump during his 2016. After the former president was elected, Romney, like former Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, based his entire political career on opposing the Orange Man What Is Bad™. He voted in favor of impeaching the former president twice.

The senator’s comments further highlight the rift in the Republican Party between the establishment old guard and the Trumpian populist wing. The fact that he mentioned Ramaswamy as a candidate he would not support is not surprising, given that the entrepreneur has modeled his campaign after Trump’s example.

Yet, Romney’s comments about it being time for a “new generation of leaders” rings true as much of Congress is dominated by older individuals, and the nation will likely have to choose between two presidential candidates that are up there in years.

With many members of Congress announcing that they will not run for reelection, it could signify that younger generations of politicians are poised to step up, which indicates that the establishment will have to work harder to maintain its hold on the GOP. With younger Republicans favoring more of the Trumpian approach, it is clear that a massive reshaping of the party is not too far in the future.

Trump’s domination of the Republican field of candidates shows that the base is not amenable to the idea of maintaining the “business as usual” establishment, which is gradually losing power. While the party may not go fully over to the Trumpian side, there can be no doubt that it will further embrace the populist approach to politics that the former president has pioneered on the right, which means the Romney types’ days are numbered.