Romney's son apologizes to Obama for 'swing' remark
(CNN) – Tagg Romney, Mitt Romney's oldest son, apologized to President Barack Obama Monday for saying he wanted to "take a swing" at him during contentious presidential debates.
Obama and Tagg Romney were seen speaking on the stage after Monday's final presidential debate, held at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. Two Obama aides said the conversation included an apology for the remark, made last week during a radio interview.
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Asked in that interview what it's like "to hear the President of the United States call your dad a liar," Tagg Romney joked about his fantasy response.
"Jump out of your seat and you want to rush down to the debate stage and take a swing at him," he said. "But you know you can't do that because, well, first because there's a lot of Secret Service between you and him, but also because that's the nature of the process. You know they're going to try to do anything they can do to make my dad into something he's not."
"We signed up for it, we've got to kind of sit there and take our punches, and send them the other way," he continued.
One of Tagg Romney's brothers, Josh, downplayed the comments in an interview on ABC's "The View."
"That brother has slugged me a couple of times," Josh Romney said. "I'm sure President Obama has nothing to worry about."
Asked about the original comments on Thursday, Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said Tagg Romney was "joking about how frustrating this process can be for family."
CNN's Rachel Streitfeld contributed to this report.
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Another flip flopper. It must run in the family. Well, at least he apologized.
Its ok Son. BTW I saw your fingers crossed when you gave that apology! LOL
to Joe:Desperate hey joe obama is winning like 6 of the 8 swing states you should be desperate hint voter surpession, stealing ballots, disabling website votig you guys seem desperate.
As a mother of 3 I can tell you that you can raise your children the way you "want" them to behave – but you can't control them really past the age of 10.
It would be hard for anyone to sit and listen to your parent called a lier, even if you know that they are. I understand the feelings behind the comment. Tagg did the adult thing by speaking with the President personally.
Still voting for Obama however.
He wanted to kick his butt.
Yeah, well... ..that's human nature.. ..Billy Graham's was asked if she ever wanted to divorce Billy: "Divorce?! NOOooo! I've wanted to Strangle him! But never divorce."
Mean, mean president Obama. He just just be nice and not try to make Romney look like someone he's not. Like Tagg's daddy. He'd never do that.
I am so tired of people saying they were "joking" when there was not even a hint of a laughable moment. I am tired of hearing, "I am sorry". It is being used in politics, and sports and is being copied in everyday life. So often it is just I'm sorry I got caught. Just come out and say, that was a stupid thing I said, or did. There is so much being swept under the rugs they are getting lumpy.
And people want to vote for his dad hummm daddid a great job raising him not
He should be charged for saying a statement like that about the President of the USA
This is not news. This is incendiary journalism.
He better have those violence tendencies checked out. He is reacting like his father did in his youth. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!
Stay classy. But just for the record, I think Obama would kick his butt.
It's amazing. In the eyes of Romney's family, everyone is a game for them.
Even the President of the USA. Is Tagg lining up to succeed his father?
I can see that Romneys are an elitist bunch. We need to be extremely careful
who we vote for this time. It's just not the way it used to be. But what is normal, anyways.
Young and old usually go in different ways.
If you jheard the entire comment–there was NOTHING to apoligize for, he was asked how he felt and he answered. He also said that even though he felt that way, he knows that you don;t act on it and the personal attacks were something that the family signed up for when Mitt entered the race. Now tell me you have never thought you would live to take a swing at a president. Thinking it and doing it are NOT the same, unless we are now in the Minority Report and we are being procecuted for thought crimes.
Tagg must think Daddy is a living prophet thats here to save the day armed with his Binder full of Women! Mormons are such amusing folks,they have difficulty navigating through reality. Just calm down Tagg before the Secret Service gentlemen collar you like a Border Collie.
It was nice of him to apologize. I doubt the president felt threatened in the least, and didn't expect or care if Tagg apologized. However, I'm still voting for the president, who I wager laughed when he heard about Tagg's comment. I did. Shall we cover some actual news?
As much as I dislike the GOP and Mitt it does take a real man to stand up and apologize even when he didn't literately mean he was going to get violent but was just showing his frustrations.
I cant help but wonder what would have happened if Obama had a son Taggs age and he had said this? Or if one of obamas daughters had a kid out of wedlock. I feel obama has to work twice as hard as a white politician. Im not black but its what i observe in this case. Its a fact.
" The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
Who know what to believe Romney has flip flop so many times.
Big deal. The guy expressed how he felt when someone verbally attacked his dad. Who wouldn't feel that way? It doesn't mean he had any intention to act upon it. This is being blown out of proportion.
I thought it was very cool that the national election board changed the voting process to make it easier for everyone this year. Splitting up the voting so that registered democrats vote on November 6th and registered republicans vote on November 7th will really make it easier to get in and out of the polling places.
From a hot headed Mitt Romney to a hot headed son ... now that's Republican anger!
The apples doesn't fall far from the tree.
So, an apology is now considered an adequate defense against what for most people in a president's presence would be felonious conduct?
Just asking. The rules are different for the very, VERY rich, I suppose, but generally speaking, threatening the President of the United States is widely considered to be a no-no.