“I was in Utah, met with legislative leadership there, and then went to Florida for a fundraiser for the NRSC,” Romney said, exiting the weekly GOP luncheon, two hours before Trump lobbed another verbal grenade at the senator.

He said there was no awkwardness at the fundraising retreat or Tuesday’s lunch, also attended by Vice President Pence. His visit to Utah, however, led to a more confrontational discussion.

“I’m sure people have different points of view, that’s what we’re entitled to do in a democracy,” said Romney.

Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson described it as a “very frank” conversation, but one that GOP leaders appreciated. “It actually took a lot of courage to do that in the wake of what happened, primarily because many of us here are disappointed with what happened yesterday,” Wilson told local media Thursday.