In his first appearance on a Sunday show in almost two years, Mitt Romney spent much of his time defending his policy prescriptions and his work in the private sector, including a photo of him and his colleagues adorned with money.
Asked on Fox News Sunday about a whimsical black-and-white photo of Romney and his colleagues at a private equity firm smiling and posing with money in their pockets, hands and teeth, Romney explained that the image was taken after they won their first round of investment, which he said was roughly $37 million.
“We posed for a picture to celebrate the fact that we raised a lot of money,” he said, adding that he anticipated the photo will surface repeatedly in the election if he becomes the Republican nominee. “I know there will be every effort to put free enterprise on trial,” he said.
Asked whether President Obama might try to paint him as Gordon Gekko, the famous corporate raider from the 1980s movie Wall Street, during a general election matchup, Romney said he anticipated just such a move.
“Of course he will,” Romney said, “in part because he has been the great divider.”
Romney went on to defend his tax plan, saying that, “I recognize it’s not a huge tax cut. It is a tax reduction.” He similarly defended his policies on spending cuts, changes to the structure of the federal government and other issues.
And what about his image as a robotic candidate who rarely shows emotion? Not so, Romney said.
“People who know me and interact with me know that I’m an emotional guy,” he said.
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