--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Stuart Stevens, who ran Mitt Romney’s…" description: "\"“Stuart Stevens, who ran Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. “Trump is a nut, and he likes to surround himself with nuts. It’s a disaster for the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/joshua-green-3819_mitt-romney_stuart-stevens-who-ran-mitt-romney-s-201_443584.jpg" --- # Stuart Stevens, who ran Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential… ![“Stuart Stevens, who ran Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. “Trump is a nut, and he likes to surround himself with nuts. It’s a disaster for the Republican Party.” quote by Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/joshua-green-3819_mitt-romney_stuart-stevens-who-ran-mitt-romney-s-201_443584.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/joshua-green-3819_mitt-romney_stuart-stevens-who-ran-mitt-romney-s-201_443584.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/joshua-green-3819_mitt-romney_stuart-stevens-who-ran-mitt-romney-s-201_443584.jpg) > ““Stuart Stevens, who ran Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. “Trump is a nut, and he likes to surround himself with nuts. It’s a disaster for the Republican Party.”” [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizes Trump’s inner circle as incompetent, warning it harms the GOP. **In simple terms:** Trump’s allies are seen as foolish, damaging the party. Key Takeaway Avoid aligning with toxic leadership. Themes politics leadership party dynamics Mood cautious critical Type political commentary analysis When to use this quote - campaign strategy - party branding - voter outreach Key Concepts groupthink reputational risk Questions to Reflect On - How does leadership behavior affect party cohesion? - Can a party recover from reputational damage? A Different Perspective Neglects policy substance in favor of personality critique. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Campaign Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaign-trump-751415/) [Disaster Republican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster-republican-3256607/) [Mitt romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mitt-romney/) [Presidential campaign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidential-campaign/) [Republican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republican/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Trump Nut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump-nut-3886310/) ## Related quotes > [During my life, I have had a few nightmares which happened to me while I was wide awake. One of them was the National…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-robinson/during-my-life-i-have-had-a-few-nightmares-which-happened-to-me-while/) [Jackie Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-robinson/) > [For Mitt Romney, the complex question of anti-Mormon bias boils down to the practical matter of how he can make it go away. Facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/for-mitt-romney-the-complex-question-of-anti-mormon-bias-boils-down/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [“In one month, he earned in free media about what John McCain spent on his entire 2008 campaign. Of Trump’s run, CBS chairman Les…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/in-one-month-he-earned-in-free-media-about-what-john-mccain-spent-on-2/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [This notion that you hear from his surrogates and his fans throughout the campaign - "Trump tells it like it is; he's a straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-pozner/this-notion-that-you-hear-from-his-surrogates-and-his-fans-throughout/) [Jennifer Pozner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-pozner/) > [During the campaign, Trump in many ways repudiated President Obama's national security and foreign policy approach on issues like the Iran nuclear deal and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/during-the-campaign-trump-in-many-ways-repudiated-president-obama-s/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [“Throughout an erratic campaign, Trump consistently blasted political correctness, blaming it for an extraordinary range of ills and using the phrase to deflect any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-weigel/throughout-an-erratic-campaign-trump-consistently-blasted-political/) [Moira Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-weigel/) > [“Just as Steve had thought, the story ran the next day, August 15, page one, above the fold. “I’ve got a crook running my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-r-lewandowski/just-as-steve-had-thought-the-story-ran-the-next-day-august-15-page/) [Corey R. Lewandowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-r-lewandowski/) > [“When speaking to General Michael Flynn, Carter Page, Paul Manafort, or anyone else in his campaign, Trump was recorded,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-a-goodman/when-speaking-to-general-michael-flynn-carter-page-paul-manafort-or/) [H. A. Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-a-goodman/) > [“The point was, there didn’t need to be an answer because he wasn’t going to be president. Trump’s longtime friend Roger Ailes liked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-point-was-there-didn-t-need-to-be-an-answer-because-he-wasn-t/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“He would come out of this campaign, Trump assured Ailes, with a far more powerful brand and untold opportunities. “This is bigger than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/he-would-come-out-of-this-campaign-trump-assured-ailes-with-a-far/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Manafort’s ouster extinguished the last vestige of hope for Republicans praying that Trump would at last pivot to a more statesmanlike approach. No one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/manafort-s-ouster-extinguished-the-last-vestige-of-hope-for-2/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [ We are seeing Republicans uniting behind this \[presidential\] campaign \[2016\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-are-seeing-republicans-uniting-behind-this-presidential-campaign/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [ The Republican Primaries were quite interesting. The establishment had its candidate, \[Mitt\] Romney, a kind of a Wall Street lawyer and investor, and they… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-republican-primaries-were-quite-interesting-the-establishment-had/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I think Mitt Romney is a symptom. I think the problem is the Republican Party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-think-mitt-romney-is-a-symptom-i-think-the-problem-is-the/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) ## More by Joshua Green > [“This popularity extended to Trump himself, who, according to private demographic research conducted at the time, was even more popular with African American and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/this-popularity-extended-to-trump-himself-who-according-to-private/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“It fed his grandiose sense of purpose to imagine that he was amassing an army of ragged, pitchfork-wielding outsiders to storm the barricades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/it-fed-his-grandiose-sense-of-purpose-to-imagine-that-he-was-amassing/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“few days earlier, Trump’s team of data scientists, squirreled away in an office down in San Antonio, had delivered a report titled “Predictions: Five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/few-days-earlier-trump-s-team-of-data-scientists-squirreled-away-in/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“What he wanted the media to cover, constantly and at length, was only one thing: Donald Trump.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/what-he-wanted-the-media-to-cover-constantly-and-at-length-was-only/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“an unlikely pair of guests: Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party, and Phil Robertson, the bandanna’d, ayatollah-bearded Duck Dynasty patriarch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/an-unlikely-pair-of-guests-nigel-farage-the-leader-of-the-right-wing/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“suggested to him that it was working. He was sure that Sanders’s rise was destined to end in crashing disappointment. Having thrilled to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/suggested-to-him-that-it-was-working-he-was-sure-that-sanders-s-rise/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“He and Kushner had hit upon the plan after seeing Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks and an outspoken Clinton partisan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/he-and-kushner-had-hit-upon-the-plan-after-seeing-mark-cuban-the/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“He loved the guy.” It was clear the connection was genuine, said Roger Stone, “because Steve is a slob, and Trump hates slobs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/he-loved-the-guy-it-was-clear-the-connection-was-genuine-said-roger/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“Bannon’s a political entrepreneur and a remarkable bloke,” Farage said. “Without the supportive voice of Breitbart London, I’m not sure we would have had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/bannon-s-a-political-entrepreneur-and-a-remarkable-bloke-farage-said/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“Wherever he could, he aligned himself with politicians and causes committed to tearing down its globalist edifice: archconservative Catholics such as Burke, Nigel Farage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/wherever-he-could-he-aligned-himself-with-politicians-and-causes/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“For all his paranoid alarm, Bannon believes that the rise of nationalist movements across the world, from Europe to Japan to the United States,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/for-all-his-paranoid-alarm-bannon-believes-that-the-rise-of/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“At its essence, the alt-right is a rolling tumbleweed of wounded male id and aggression.\*”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/at-its-essence-the-alt-right-is-a-rolling-tumbleweed-of-wounded-male/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“We have to make America strong again and make America great again,” Trump told the CPAC crowd. “Because when it comes to immigration, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/we-have-to-make-america-strong-again-and-make-america-great-again/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“He went on to make a series of preposterous-sounding claims—almost all of which would be borne out in the end: he would win a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/he-went-on-to-make-a-series-of-preposterous-sounding-claims-almost/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“In 1998, when Clinton first posited a “vast right-wing conspiracy” bent on ruining her and her husband, she was widely ridiculed. But she wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/in-1998-when-clinton-first-posited-a-vast-right-wing-conspiracy-bent/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) [Explore all 121 Joshua Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) ## More Mitt romney quotes > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [As more Americans meet Mitt Romney, I think they'll see beyond the handsome exterior and see not just a good salesman, but a thoughtful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-jean-lopez/as-more-americans-meet-mitt-romney-i-think-they-ll-see-beyond-the/) [Kathryn Jean Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-jean-lopez/) > [I think Mitt Romney has demonstrated repeatedly he has a penchant for - for secrecy, doesn't seem to have any interest in actually showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-think-mitt-romney-has-demonstrated-repeatedly-he-has-a-penchant-for/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Mitt Romney's numbers are crushing Donald Trump's numbers with women. Crushing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/mitt-romney-s-numbers-are-crushing-donald-trump-s-numbers-with-women/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [I thought it was very unfair. I thought what happened to Mitt Romney was very unfair in the third debate. So, I'd want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-thought-it-was-very-unfair-i-thought-what-happened-to-mitt-romney/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Mitt Romney was attacking Obama about our failing education system. He has a point. We are graduating millions of people in this country who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/mitt-romney-was-attacking-obama-about-our-failing-education-system-he/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Unlike Mitt Romney, President Obama is standing up for Planned Parenthood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bev-perdue/unlike-mitt-romney-president-obama-is-standing-up-for-planned/) [Bev Perdue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bev-perdue/) > [My dad died when I was young. He was a good and decent man. There are a few things he would say that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/my-dad-died-when-i-was-young-he-was-a-good-and-decent-man-there-are-a/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [Just days after Mitt Romney suggested he might run for president, there's been a backlash. The backlash is led by Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/just-days-after-mitt-romney-suggested-he-might-run-for-president/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Mitt Romney is a nice guy. But, we know where nice guys finish in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/mitt-romney-is-a-nice-guy-but-we-know-where-nice-guys-finish-in/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [I think Mitt Romney is a symptom. I think the problem is the Republican Party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-think-mitt-romney-is-a-symptom-i-think-the-problem-is-the/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I am not a fan of Mitt Romney, but I admit that he is, politically speaking, a good candidate for president. He has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/i-am-not-a-fan-of-mitt-romney-but-i-admit-that-he-is-politically/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [Mitt Romney understands the importance of Alaska as a leader in our country's energy production and I look forward to working with him on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-murkowski/mitt-romney-understands-the-importance-of-alaska-as-a-leader-in-our/) [Lisa Murkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-murkowski/) > [I am sure it does not hurt that Mitt Romney is my dad. I'm sure it's opened a lot of doors for me. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tagg-romney/i-am-sure-it-does-not-hurt-that-mitt-romney-is-my-dad-i-m-sure-it-s/) [Tagg Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tagg-romney/) > [For those of us who originally disagreed with ObamaCare and now disagree with the majority opinion of the SCOTUS, the challenge remains the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beauprez/for-those-of-us-who-originally-disagreed-with-obamacare-and-now/) [Bob Beauprez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beauprez/) [Browse all 320 Mitt romney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mitt-romney/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Stuart Stevens, who ran Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. “Trump is a nut, and he likes to surround himself with nuts. 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