Mitt Romney warns 'we are a nation in denial,' says Americans 'dismissing threats' that could be 'cataclysmic'

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In a piece The Atlantic published on Monday, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah., warned that the U.S. is a nation "in denial" and said that Americans were "dismissing threats that could prove cataclysmic." 

"What accounts for the blithe dismissal of potentially cataclysmic threats? The left thinks the right is at fault for ignoring climate change and the attacks on our political system. The right thinks the left is the problem for ignoring illegal immigration and the national debt. But wishful thinking happens across the political spectrum," Romney wrote. 

The Utah senator argued one of the biggest examples of denial comes from former President Donald Trump continuing to deny that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election. 

"If we continue to ignore the real threats we face, America will inevitably suffer serious consequences," Romney said.

Sen. Mitt Romney speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee business meeting on Capitol Hill, Sept. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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Romney said that a crisis, like Pearl Harbor or 9/11, could "clear the scales" and "shake public consciousness" but said that "a crisis might come too late for a course correction that can prevent a tragedy."

Romney wrote the only solution was strong leadership. He said he believed Biden was a good man but argued that the president has been unable to respond to U.S. denial and distrust. 

Biden's approval rating came in at just 39% in a May Associated Press poll. The poll also showed that just two in 10 Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction. 

The senator said a return to Trump would render the U.S. "incurable."

Sen. Mitt Romney during a news conference on Capitol Hill, July 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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Romney wrote that he hopes for a president that can "unite us behind the truth." 

"Several contenders with experience and smarts stand in the wings; we intently watch to see if they also possess the requisite character and ability to bring the nation together in confronting our common reality," he said, adding that for now, this type of leadership needed to stem from parents, teachers, religious leaders, journalists and "businessmen and businesswomen."

Former President Donald Trump claps as the crowd cheers during a rally in Washington Township, Michigan, April 2, 2022. (Reuters/Emily Elconin)

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Romney, a longtime critic of the former president, said in May that Trump would "very likely" be the Republican nominee in 2024. He said it was hard to imagine anything derailing Republican support for the former president. 

The senator told Huffpost in April he was not going to run for president in 2024.

"That’s not going to happen again. I’ve been there, I’ve tried that twice. I’m happy being a senator," he said.