This came up on yahoo. So which way is it?
Romney calling Trump 'phony,' urging Republicans to shun him
Associated Press
By STEVE PEOPLES and BRADY McCOMBS
51 minutes ago
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney is charging into the increasingly divisive White House race with a verbal lashing of Donald Trump and a plea for fellow Republicans to shun the front-runner for the good of country and party.
Romney will brand the billionaire businessman as "a phony, a fraud" whose "promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University" in a speech Thursday morning at the University of Utah on Thursday morning. The Associated Press obtained excerpts of his remarks in advance.
Trump, in turn, dismissed Romney as "a stiff" who "didn't know what he was doing" as the party's candidate in 2012 and blew a chance to beat President Barack Obama. "People are energized by what I'm saying" in the campaign and turning out in remarkable numbers to vote, Trump told NBC's "Today."
In ratcheting up the rhetoric, Romney cast his lot with a growing chorus of anxious Republican leaders — people many Trump supporters view as establishment figures — in trying to slow the New York real estate mogul's momentum.
"Here's what I know: Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud," the former Massachusetts governor said, according to the early excerpts.
But it was unclear what impact his words would have with voters deeply frustrated by their party's leaders, and Romney was not using to speech to endorse a Trump rival. Trump questioned whether the party rank and file would listen to "a failed candidate" for whom "nobody came out to vote."
Thursday's condemnation and counter was coming four years after the two men stood side by side in Las Vegas, with Trump saying it was a "real honor and privilege" to endorse Romney's White House bid. Accepting, Romney said it was a "delight" to have Trump on his side and praised him for ability to "understand how our economy works and to create jobs for the American people."
Panicked GOP leaders say they still have options for preventing Trump from winning the GOP nomination — just not many good ones.
Romney also said that a Trump nomination at the party's convention in Cleveland in July would enable Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the presidency. He contended that Trump "has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president."
Romney's involvement comes as party elites pore over complicated delegate math, outlining hazy scenarios for a contested convention and even flirting with the long-shot prospect of a third party option.
Giving Romney the back of his hand, Trump turned his sights on the general election. His campaign reached out to House Speaker Paul Ryan's office to arrange a conversation between the two men, and urged Republican leaders to view his candidacy as a chance to expand the party.
Trump padded his lead with victories in seven Super Tuesday contests, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz claiming three states and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio picking up his first victory of the 2016 race.