Romney will not run for president in 2016

MANILA, Philippines – Mitt Romney will not run for president in 2016.

Two-time Republican presidential candidate Romney hosted a conference call with supporters Friday, January 30 to update about a possible third White House run, US media reported.

Three weeks ago, the 2012 Republican nominee said he was considering running in the 2016 US presidential campaign but surprised his staff and supporters when he announced he was letting other members of the Republican National Committee or GOP have the opportunity to be the nominee.

“After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I’ve decided it’s best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee,” Romney said in remarks on a conference call with supporters, broadcast live by CNN.

Romney told the Republican National Committee earlier this month that the party needs to make income inequality a central plank in the presidential race, and he slammed “liberal policies” like those of President Barack Obama as good for campaign sound bites but terrible for alleviating poverty.

In Mississippi, he returned to the inequality theme, stressing “the reason I’m Republican is because I want to help the poor, the middle class.” – with reports from Agence France-Presse / Rappler.com