Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney had prostate cancer surgery last summer.
A source described as ‘close to’ Romney told CNN and then other news outlets that he ‘was treated over the summer for prostate cancer. He was treated surgically by Dr. Thomas Ahlering at UC Irvine Hospital in California.’
‘His prognosis is good; he was successfully treated,’ the source added.
CNN reported that Romney was diagnosed with slow-growing prostate cancer last year, and that the cancer was removed before it could spread beyond Romney’s prostate.
Romney’s disclosure about his past health problem is likely a sign that he’s preparing to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Utah that will be vacated by Orrin Hatch.
The White House said Friday that President Donald Trump spoke with Romney Thursday night, and they discussed Hatch.
Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney was treated for prostate cancer last year; the disclosure may be a sign that he’s clearing the decks before making a run for the U.S. Senate seeat being vacated by Orrin Hatch
CNN’s Jake Tapper first broke the news on Twitter, providing details about Romney’s diagnosis and treatment
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, moved to his mother’s native Utah after he left office. A Mormon, he attended Brigham Young University there.
He has also been an outspoken Trump critic, branding him’ ‘a fraud’ during the 2016 campaign who had ‘neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president.’
Romney dropped a hint about his Senate ambitions last week after Hatch announced his plan to retire, changing the location listed on his Twitter account from Massachusetts to Holladay, Utah.
Trump had urged Hatch, his 83-year-old longtime ally, to run for another term. But the senator said last week that ‘every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves.’
A source close to Romney told the Daily Beast that Romney is planning to run for the seat, but would not be announcing his candidacy anytime soon in deference to Hatch.
Before, after: Mitt Romney updated his Twitter bio to Holladay, UT hours after Senator Orrin Hatch announced he would not be seeking another term
Hatch said last week that he is retiring after the coming November election and won’t run again
President Trump tweeted congratulations to Hatch, after he failed to prevent the 83-year-old from seeking another 6-year term
Romney could create real road blocks to the administration’s agenda.
If he is elected in deep-red Utah, his role as a never-Trump voice could occasionally ally him with Democrats working to counter the president.
During his famous 2016 speech, Romney said: ‘I’m afraid that when it comes to foreign policy he is very, very not smart.’
‘Dishonesty is Donald Trump’s hallmark,’ Romney said in the blistering remarks.
Trump responded at the time by labeling Romney a ‘choke artist’ who lost the 2012 election to Barack Obama – a ‘winnable’ race.
On Tuesday, Trump praised Hatch.
‘Congratulations to Senator Orrin Hatch on an absolutely incredible career,’ Trump wrote.
‘He has been a tremendous supporter, and I will never forget the (beyond kind) statements he has made about me as President. He is my friend and he will be greatly missed in the U.S. Senate!’
Trump’s statement referenced an emotional statement by Hatch praising the president who looked on at the White House upon Senate passage of a $1.5 trillion tax cut Hatch had a hand in crafting.
Hatch ignored President Trump‘s pleadings to seek reelection despite an intensive lobbying campaign that could have prevented the emergence of a potentially serious Republican overseer in Romney.
President-elect Donald Trump and Mitt Romney dined at Jean Georges restaurant, November 29, 2016 in New York City when Romney was under consideration for secretary of state
Hatch was elected in 1976, on a campaign that warned against the dangers of staying in office too long.
The president went out of his way to keep him in the chamber, lauding him repeatedly in public, and slicing away permanent environmental protection from huge swaths of land in Utah that had been designated as a national monument.
The president ‘has the greatest and deepest amount of respect for Sen. Hatch,’ White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday, adding that Trump was ‘very sad to see Sen. Hatch leave.’
Sanders declined to answer whether Trump would campaign for whoever becomes the GOP nominee in the deep-red state.
‘Obviously, I don’t think we’ve made a determination in terms of campaigning, but the President certainly has the greatest and deepest amount of respect for Senator Hatch and his over four decades of experience in the Senate,’ she said.
‘He’s particularly thankful for the senator’s leadership and massive effort that he played, and the role that he played in getting the tax cut and reform package passed. And the President certainly praises his service and is very sad to see Senator Hatch leave and knows that he will certainly be missed.’