I'm somewhat amused at how common this kind of reaction has been.
"Yes Trump lacks character, tantrums like a child, and is unnecessarily boorish but you're not supposed to say it!"
Trump is loved for telling it like it is, Romney is hated for it.
No, Romney is singling out Trump for qualities that the elites dislike.
He's a liar! Yes, but what offends the elite is that his lies are so OBVIOUS, not like the lies they tell like breathing. Except they aren't fooling anyone and Trump's lies are less offensive BECAUSE they are obvious braggadocio.
He's thin-skinned!!! Yes he is. (Or pretends to be, I'm not sure it's not an act.) Looking at the way the left reacts at "micro-agressions", I'm quite certain they have no standing to complain about that.
He's unfaithful to his wives! Even ignoring the affairs, he's on his third wife. That's not a good indicator of fidelity. Shall I begin to list the previous president's known and suspected peccadilloes? At least (so far as we know) he's not doing it in the Oval office.
He uses childish insults! Because calling your opponent Hitler is far better than "Crooked Hillary".
He's a divider, not a uniter! ... Do I really need to point out the hypocrisy here? (Bitterly clinging... basket of deplorables...)
He's engaging in tribalism! (Corollary of the above.) It seems the Democrats are mostly angry that they don't have free reign in this realm anymore.
But you want to know what's funny? Romney WASN'T telling it like it is. Here's his "critique" of Trump's character:
A president should demonstrate the essential qualities of honesty and integrity, and elevate the national discourse with comity and mutual respect.
Let's see. 44?
Nope. 43? He sure tried, but all his efforts did nothing to elevate the national discourse. All it did was disarm one side while the other spewed lies and virtriol about him. 42? I don't think we need to talk about elevating the national discourse, but interestingly, even Clinton toned down his rhetoric and compromised once he received a massive rebuke at the polls. 41? The man who is famous for breaking his campaign promises? 40? Ok, here we may have one. But keep in mind, he was attacked as an out-of-control menace at the time, too.
Trump’s words and actions have caused dismay around the world. In a 2016 Pew Research Center poll, 84 percent of people in Germany, Britain, France, Canada and Sweden believed the American president would “do the right thing in world affairs.” One year later, that number had fallen to 16 percent.
Hey, I wonder what the difference was from 2016 to 2017. Might it be that the world doesn't like republicans? What did similar polls look like, let's say, 10 years ago? (Spoiler, it was 12%) Further, I wonder what the numbers would look like in Poland, or Israel?
Mitt isn't "telling it like it is", he's publicly attacking those who should his allies with pointless and stupid critiques, BEFORE he's done a single thing in office.
Is that REALLY the way to effect a change you'd like to see in the leader of your party? Or, as most people suspect, is it a way to aggrandize yourself to a media that will love you for attacking their enemies, but will (AND HAVE ALREADY!) kneecap and backstab you if you go against their party?
Romney is making a stupid tactical move here. That is the problem most people have with his article. As I've already said, I'd prefer a president who "appeals to our better angels." I've seen how well those appeals fare with the left, which makes Romney a fool who couldn't even learn from his own experience.