Donald Trump to meet Mitt Romney despite their bitter pre-election exchanges

The US President-elect, Republican Donald Trump, is to meet one of his severest critics, Mitt Romney, as he continues to build his transitional team, leading media to speculate the post of secretary of state could be discussed.

During the election campaign, Romney called Trump a “fraud” and “phony”, while Trump said Romney’s unsuccessful campaign against Barack Obama in 2012 was “the worst ever”.

Trump has settled several posts so far, a number of them controversial. The nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, was rejected from becoming a federal judge in 1986 because of alleged racist remarks.

Lt Gen Michael Flynn, the new national security adviser, has drawn concern over his strident views on Islam.

Donald Trump will be at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, all weekend to conduct more meetings with potential appointees.

Asked about the Romney meeting, Sean Spicer, a spokesman for the presidential transition, told reporters, “The president-elect wants the best and brightest people to put this country forward: people who supported him, people who didn’t support him.”

He said Trump usually started conversations by soliciting opinions and thoughts, and then deciding if a candidate warranted appointment.

“The conversation with Mitt Romney is just that: an opportunity to hear his ideas and his thoughts,” Spicer said.

And Romney’s thoughts back in March were decidedly hostile.

He said Trump had neither “the temperament nor the judgement to be president”, accusing him of bullying, misogyny and dishonesty.

“Prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished” if Trump became the nominee, he said.

Trump responded by mocking Romney, calling him a “failed candidate” and a “choke artist”.

The ONLY bad thing about winning the Presidency is that I did not have the time to go through a long but winning trial on Trump U. Too bad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016

However, US media suggest the role of secretary of state could be up for grabs, despite former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani being the early frontrunner.

Romney would certainly be another link to the Republican establishment, following the appointment of party insider Reince Priebus as chief of staff. In the past, he has taken a far more critical line on Russia than that suggested by Trump.

Ex-ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, Tennessee Senator Bob Corker and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley are also in the running.

Another of those meeting Trump on Saturday will be James Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general being considered for defence secretary. Mattis oversaw military operations in the Middle East from 2010 to 2013 but disagreed with President Barack Obama’s desire for a greater presence in the Gulf.

He is not the only candidate though - Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas met Trump on Friday, the New York Times reported.

In settling the Trump University class-action lawsuits, Trump “was willing to sacrifice his personal interests, put this behind him, and move forward”, his lawyer said. Trump had been sued by former students who paid $35,000 (£28,000) for real estate “secrets” from his “hand-picked” instructors. The lawsuits alleged the school had misled students and failed to deliver on its promises

In his tweets on Saturday, Trump said the only thing bad about his election victory was that he would not be able to win the Trump University case in court.