Former Utah Senator Mitt Romney fell for a satirical article in the Salt Lake Tribune that jokingly questioned his devotion to Mormonism.
The piece that set off the 78-year-old retired politician was written by Eli McCann and hit the press on Sunday morning.
The purpose of it was to to poke fun at those who gossip about the religious beliefs of celebrities they’ve never met and will likely never meet.
The italicized quote that caught Romney’s eye came roughly midway through the article.
‘I heard Mitt Romney hasn’t gone to church since about 2005?’ McCann quoted a fictitious busy body.
That was enough for Romney, who left the Senate in January 2025, to make a social media post that sought to correct the record.
“I am a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ann and I attend sacrament meeting every Sunday and appreciate serving in the temple,” Romney wrote on X Sunday night.
“We cherish our church and the roles we have been given in our local ward. An article in the @sltrib, which was poorly sourced and suggested otherwise, is laughable,” he added.
Former Utah Senator Mitt Romney fell for a satirical article in the Salt Lake Tribune that jokingly questioned his Mormon faith
Pictured: Romney’s snap response to the piece in The Tribune that ran on Sunday
The article was authored by Eli McCann, who noted it aimed to poke fun at how misinformation about celebrities’ religious beliefs is often spread. McCann mentioned on social media that “apparently Mitt did not understand.”
McCann replied to the two-time presidential candidate on social media, clarifying that the article was indeed a humor commentary.
“I penned a satirical humor piece about how we frequently spread false rumors concerning celebrities and their religious and political beliefs, and it may be human nature to do so because we wish those we admire are similar to us. Apparently, Mitt did not understand,” McCann wrote.
The Tribune also released a follow-up news article addressing Romney’s confusion, which included his response to discovering McCann’s article was satirical.
‘Ah, satire: 1. Me: 0,’ Romney said in a statement to the outlet.
Many respondents to Romney’s initial indignant post, which is still viewable as of Tuesday afternoon, did not appear to recognize that the article he was reacting to was intended as satire.
‘I’m grateful for your example of public faith. Hopefully we all know by now not to take the Tribune very seriously,’ one person wrote.
Others took issue with Romney referring to himself as a ‘true-blue’ Mormon, a descriptor that simply denotes an extreme loyalty to a set of beliefs and has nothing to do with being a liberal or a Democrat.
‘Haha. True blue. You’re a dem,’ one wrote poking more fun at the former Republican senator.
‘”True-blue” as in RINO,’ another wrote, calling Romney a ‘Republican in name only.’
Romney’s commitment to the Mormon church has been documented throughout his entire life (Pictured: The Mormon Temple, which sits in Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah)
When Romney became the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, he tapped several members of his LDS congregation to share stories about his faith at his party’s convention (Pictured: Romney debates then-President Barack Obama on October 16, 2012)
Romney’s commitment to the Mormon church has been well-documented throughout his career.
In 2007, while running for president for the first time, he defended his religion at a time when many Americans either did not know about it or had negative opinions of it.
A Pew Research poll from December 2007 found that a scant majority – 53 percent of Americans – had a favorable view of Mormons. Only Muslims and atheists were less liked at that time.
When he became the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, he tapped several members of his Boston LDS congregation to share stories about his faith at the Republican National Convention.
Romney also cited his faith as a leading reason he, as a senator, voted to convict Donald Trump in his 2020 impeachment trial.
‘I swore an oath before God to apply impartial justice. And, as you know, I’m a very religious person. I take that very seriously,’ Romney said in a statement ahead of his vote.
‘And so I looked at the evidence in a very unbiased manner and concluded that that the president had done as was alleged – that he did ask a foreign government to interfere in the election, that he did pressure that government by withholding aid.’
Trump was ultimately acquitted of the charges, which accused him of seeking dirt on Joe Biden from Ukraine to derail the Democrat’s chances of winning the 2020 election.
Most recently, Romney traveled to Peru this year with the Tabernacle Choice at Temple Square, a singing group affiliated with the LDS church.
