'The poverty of an aspiring immigrant's nation is as irrelevant as their race': Mitt Romney's thinly-veiled MLK Day swipe at Trump over his 's***hole countries' scandal

  • The former presidential candidate used the holiday to chastise the president's alleged comment regarding immigrants who come from 's***hole countries'
  • 'The poverty of an aspiring immigrant's nation of origin is as irrelevant as their race,' he said
  • Romney added: 'The sentiment attributed to POTUS is inconsistent w/ America's history and antithetical to American values
  • 'May our memory of Dr. King buoy our hope for unity, greatness, & 'charity for all,'' the former Massachusetts governor said on Twitter
  • The tweet comes after reports that Romney texted Utah businessman, Kem Gardner, 'I'm running' on Saturday
  • Romney is expected to declare his intention to replace Utah Senator Orrin Hatch as the Republican nominee 

The former presidential candidate used the holiday to chastise the president's alleged comment regarding immigrants who come from 's***hole countries'

The former presidential candidate used the holiday to chastise the president's alleged comment regarding immigrants who come from 's***hole countries'

Mitt Romney has taken another swipe at Donald Trump following the president's alleged 's***hole countries' comments.

Tweeting on Martin Luther King Jr Day, the former presidential candidate said: 'The poverty of an aspiring immigrant's nation of origin is as irrelevant as their race. The sentiment attributed to POTUS is inconsistent w/ America's history and antithetical to American values. May our memory of Dr. King buoy our hope for unity, greatness, & 'charity for all."

He used the holiday to chastise the president's alleged comment regarding immigrants who come from Haiti, African countries and El Salvador. 

Romney's latest war of words with Trump comes just days after he was reported to have text a businessman saying he would run for a Utah senate seat. 

The New York Times reported that Gardner called Utah Governor Gary Herbert last Saturday to read him he text.

Herbert felt that both Trump and Romney could reconcile their issues with each other. 

'I think there is a willingness on both sides to say, 'Look, we may disagree on stuff, we may have problems from our past, but what we ought to be looking toward is our future,'' Herbert added.

'The poverty of an aspiring immigrant's nation of origin is as irrelevant as their race. The sentiment attributed to POTUS is inconsistent w/ America's history and antithetical to American values. May our memory of Dr. King buoy our hope for unity, greatness, & 'charity for all,'' the former Massachusetts governor said on Twitter

'The poverty of an aspiring immigrant's nation of origin is as irrelevant as their race. The sentiment attributed to POTUS is inconsistent w/ America's history and antithetical to American values. May our memory of Dr. King buoy our hope for unity, greatness, & 'charity for all,'' the former Massachusetts governor said on Twitter

The tweet comes after reports that Romney texted Utah businessman, Kem Gardner, 'I'm running' for the Utah Senate seat that is up for grabs

The tweet comes after reports that Romney texted Utah businessman, Kem Gardner, 'I'm running' for the Utah Senate seat that is up for grabs

But the governor was frank and stated: 'If he's going to run, let's go. If not, we need to find somebody else to run, and there's people that have been trying to queue up for the opportunity.' 

On Thursday, Trump was said to have asked why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and 'sh**hole countries' in Africa rather than places like Norway, as he rejected a bipartisan immigration deal.

On Friday, he denied those remarks, adding while he had made some tough ones, he did not make those particular comments.   

On Thursday, Trump (pictured) was said to have asked why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and 'sh**hole countries' in Africa rather than places like Norway, as he rejected a bipartisan immigration deal

On Thursday, Trump (pictured) was said to have asked why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and 'sh**hole countries' in Africa rather than places like Norway, as he rejected a bipartisan immigration deal

'The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used,' Trump wrote, using unusually passive language in an effort to walk back the comment.

'What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made - a big setback for DACA!' Trump tweeted Friday.  

He also added: 'Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said 'take them out.' Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings - unfortunately, no trust!' 

'The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used,' Trump wrote, using unusually passive language in an effort to walk back the comment

'The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used,' Trump wrote, using unusually passive language in an effort to walk back the comment

He also added: 'Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said 'take them out.' Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings - unfortunately, no trust!'

He also added: 'Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said 'take them out.' Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings - unfortunately, no trust!'

Romney, on the other hand, is expected to declare his intention to replace Utah Senator Orrin Hatch as the Republican nominee. 

He's been extremely vocal of his criticism of Trump, blasting him as both a 'phony' and 'fraud' while out on the 2016 campaign. 

More recently, Romney voiced his opposition for alleged abuser Roy Moore for the Alabama Senate race that he historically loss.  

Nevertheless, Trump once contemplated for the title of Secretary of State. 

And in December, Kellyanne Conway told CNN that the two had a 'great relationship.' 

In December, Kellyanne Conway told CNN that the two had a 'great relationship.' The two are pictured in November 29, 2016, in New York

In December, Kellyanne Conway told CNN that the two had a 'great relationship.' The two are pictured in November 29, 2016, in New York