Romney Rejects Obama’s ‘Silver Spoon’ Comment
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Scott Olson/Getty Images(CLEVELAND) — Mitt Romney said he would not apologize for his family’s success Thursday morning when asked about President Obama’s comment the day before that suggested the presumptive GOP nominee had been born with a “silver spoon in his mouth.”
“I’m not going to apologize for my dad and his success in his life,” Romney said on Fox & Friends. “He was born poor and he worked his way to become very successful despite the fact that he didn’t have a college degree.”
Romney was asked about a comment made by the president during a speech in Ohio Wednesday, during which he seemed to make a veiled jab at the former Massachusetts governor, who stands to become one of the richest presidents ever.
“I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Michelle wasn’t,” said Obama. “But somebody gave us a chance, just like these folks up here are looking for a chance.”
Romney speaks frequently on the trail about his father’s humble upbringing. Born in Mexico, George Romney eventually moved to the United States where he was a lath and plaster apprentice who would sell paint out of the trunk of his car to make extra money, according to Mitt Romney.
George Romney went on to become a successful businessman, becoming the head of American Motors Corp. and later serving as the governor of Michigan from 1969 to 1973.
And while Romney inherited much of his father’s fortune when he died, he did not keep it, instead donating it to charity.
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