After Trump's Tuesday wins, Romney says ex-president could likely be '24 nominee 'if he wants to'

Utah GOP Sen. Mitt Romney is an outspoken critic of former President Trump, but he acknowledges Trump's enduring hold on the Republican Party after a big Tuesday night primary wins for his preferred candidates.

"It's hard to imagine anything that would derail his support," Romney said Wednesday, the day after nearly two dozen Trump-backed candidates won in GOP primaries. "So if he wants to become the nominee in '24, I think he's very likely to achieve that," Romney told Politico.

A number of GOP lawmakers agreed with Romney's position, including Trump supporter Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan.

"There's never been an endorsement in American history that has the political punch that President Trump's endorsement has," Jordan said.

Romney, who twice voted to convict the former president during impeachment trials, said that he doesn't "delude" himself into believing his actions are supported by "a big swath of the Republican Party."

After big wins Tuesday in Ohio and Indiana, the remainder of the primary season could be more difficult for Trump.

In the immediate future are primaries in Pennsylvania and Georgia, in which Trump has respectively endorsed Dr. Mehmet Oz over former hedge-funder David McCormick, and former Sen. David Perdue over incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, among others.