Mitt Romney Urges Trump to 'Move On' From Election

Sen. Mitt Romney, who lost his own bid for the presidency in 2012, is urging President Donald Trump to move on after Tuesday's Electoral College vote for Joe Biden.

"Clearly, if one pushes long and hard, once you've lost, you've lost," the Utah Republican, who lost to President Barack Obama, told "CBS This Morning." "Move on. Look, I've lost. I lost in 2012. I didn't like losing, but you have to acknowledge it and move on."

Romney said Biden, as president, could face difficulty because of the continued opposition to the election, but he plans to "greet him and his administration with respect" even if he doesn't always agree with him politically. 

Meanwhile, he said he never saw evidence of voter fraud suggesting any reason to overturn the election, but he does think it was "totally appropriate for Trump to exercise his legal rights. 

"Actually, the court filings that were made in, what, over 50 courts, there was no evidence of that nature ever presented," Romney said. "A lot of rhetoric, but not even evidence. Even attorney General (Bill) Barr said after the investigation carried out by the FBI, they found nothing of a substantial nature." 

Romney also said he thinks the legal battles have left the Republican Party uncertain about its course of action moving forward.

"The principles that have long been the hallmark of my party are very much in question, which is, do we believe in balancing the budget?" said Romney. "Do we believe in standing up to people like Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin? Are we committed to the principle that character counts? We have to decide over the coming years."

Romney has come under a lot of criticism from other Republicans because of his often critical stance on Trump, but he said he doesn't feel ostracized by his party, even after he voted to impeach Trump on one of the articles, abuse of office, that was filed against him last year. 

However, when asked if he's ever suggested to Trump that they sit down and talk, Romney said he doesn't think that would be something the president would like to do. 

"We've had a couple of meetings in the past and they haven't been terribly fruitful," said Romney.

• Romney: Election Was Endorsement of Conservative Principles
• Sen. Romney Did Not Vote for Trump