His motivation for confronting Trump so publicly, he said – despite warnings from his closest friends and advisers – was to set an example for his grandchildren.

“I wanted my grandkids to see that I simply couldn’t ignore what Mr Trump was saying and doing, which revealed a character and temperament unfit for the leader of the free world,” Romney said…

“Friends warned me, ‘Don’t speak out, stay out of the fray,’ because criticizing Mr Trump will only help him by giving him someone else to attack,” Romney said. “They were right. I became his next target, and the incoming attacks have been constant and brutal.”