Mitt Romney’s name drew loud boos at Turning Point USA‘s AmericaFest on Saturday.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham spoke about past Republican presidential nominees during the four-day gathering in Phoenix, Arizona.
During her speech, Ingraham said that the last time an “acceptable” and “mainstream” Republican had won the presidency was George W. Bush in 2004.
“We couldn’t get any more mainstream” than the late John McCain, Ingraham said.
“They said the mainstream works,” she said. “McCain obviously got his clock cleaned by [Barack] Obama.”
Ingraham then mentioned Romney’s name, eliciting a loud chorus of boos from the audience.
She went on: “You can’t get any more kind of acceptable Republicans than those guys right? They lost.”
Ingraham also noted that Bush had not spoken at a Republican convention since 2008. According to a video posted by the PatriotTakes Twitter account, a person can be heard yelling “criminal” when she mentioned Bush.
“I mean, is that wild?” she said, adding that Democrats roll out former presidents Obama and Bill Clinton regularly.
“What does that tell you?” Ingraham added. “The people don’t want that type of Republican Party. They don’t want it.”
Newsweek has contacted Romney and Bush’s offices for comment.
Twitter users criticized Ingraham’s comments, with one saying she “talks about McCain and Romney losing because it fits her narrative that non-MAGA Republicans can’t win.”
The user added: “Meanwhile, back in the real world… the king of MAGA Republicans, Donald Trump, lost the latest presidential election.”
Another said: “It’s amazing how easily and carefree these Republicans throw their own to the wolves. Bush II, Romney, McCain.”
Another wrote that Republicans were “eating their own per usual.”
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Ingraham’s fellow Fox News personality, Tucker Carlson, also spoke at the event on Saturday.
Carlson’s speech saw him describe politicians as “weird” because they “crave” the adulation of strangers.
He also said he was not currently backing anyone in the 2024 presidential race.
“I’m not endorsing anybody. I have no idea what’s going to happen in the Republican primary,” he said in response to a question asking if he would support former president Donald Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis has done “an unbelievable job” as governor, Carlson said.
On Trump, he said: “I actually love Donald Trump, as a guy. I’ve known Trump for 20 years because I work in the media, you know, and I just have always gotten along with him and I think he’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever talked to in my life.”
