Romney, the GOP's failed 2012 presidential nominee from Massachusetts, now a Republican Senate candidate in Utah, made the prediction Thursday as he welcomed dozens of high-profile business and political leaders to a mountainside retreat in Utah Thursday night. Romney's annual gathering of top Republicans, wealthy political donors... (Associated Press) 
 
 PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — He once called Donald Trump "a con man," but Mitt Romney now predicts that Trump would "easily" win his party's presidential nomination in 2020 and "solidly" win a second term. "I think that not just because of the strong economy and the fact that people are going to see increasingly rising wages," Romney said, "but I think it's also true because I think our Democrat friends are likely to nominate someone who is really out of the mainstream of American thought and will make it easier for a president who's presiding over a growing economy." The remarks came on the opening night of the E2 Summit, an annual Romney-hosted event that draws influential political leaders and donors. Dignitaries on the guest list feature included House Speaker Paul Ryan, billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner in addition to actor Seth Rogin, former Starbuck CEO Howard Schultz and former Domino's Pizza CEO Patrick Doyle.
– Addressing high-profile GOP donors, Mitt Romney predicted Thursday that President Trump would slide smoothly into a second term in 2020. "I think President Trump will be re-nominated by my party easily, and I think he'll be reelected solidly," he told business and political leaders including Blackrock CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Michael Bloomberg, Paul Ryan, and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz at the Romney-hosted, invite-only E2 summit in Park City, Utah, per the AP. And while he cited the "strong economy," Romney said Democrats "are likely to nominate someone who is really out of the mainstream of American thought and will make it easier for a president who is presiding over a growing economy," per Politico. Romney, who is expected to win a Senate seat in Utah, also predicted Republicans would hold the House and Senate come November. "I know a lot of pundits don't believe that. I think we will," he said.