In conjunction with the rededication of the Washington D.C. Temple on Sunday, Fox News Sunday aired an interview between Utah Senator Mitt Romney and Fox News host Bret Baier. While sitting on the grounds of the DC Temple, the two men spoke extensively about Latter-day Saint beliefs and the relationship between Romney’s faith and politics.
To begin the interview, Senator Romney recounted his first trip to the Washington D.C. Temple with his family as a child traveling down from Boston, Massachusetts.
“People told us that we wouldn’t miss it. ‘Don’t worry, you’ll see it,’” he shared. “And then suddenly, there was this beautiful, white building. It looked like it was in the middle of the road. It’s quite majestic.”
Baier then asked Senator Romney to explain why temples are so important to Latter-day Saints.
Senator Romney answered, ”This is a building where most members of my faith—if they want to be married forever, not just here on earth, not [’til] death do you part,’ but forever—this is where they’ll come to have their marriage made permanent, … putting [a family] together forever.”
As a grandfather—and a newly minted great-grandfather—Senator Romney also told Baier about the responsibility he feels to teach his family the values he learned from his parents and his faith.
“An important part of my job as a grandfather now is to share with my grandchildren the family legacy. And there are really three elements of our family legacy. One: commitment to the family, caring for one another. Number two is our commitment to faith, our conviction that God lives and that Jesus Christ is His son. And number three is kindness.”
After that comment, as Baier chuckled and asked who could be that good, Senator Romney laughed too and stated, “We’re not!” Senator Romney was quick to point out that he has at times strayed from his values for the sake of his political career, but he’s not interested in approaching life that way anymore.
“I look back on those things now with great regret. And so I say at this stage of my life, ‘Not doing that anymore!’ I'm going to be … honest to the extent that I humanly can, and I’m not going to worry about what the consequence might be for me, politically or otherwise.”
Baier pointed out that some of the values taught in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are being threatened and asked Senator Romney for his thoughts on those threats. Senator Romney said that Church leaders have long affirmed that the Constitution was inspired, freedom of religion being a key component of that.
“We believe that having people recognize that one another are not just citizens, fellow citizens, but also fellow children of God, that we are in the same human family, helps bring the temperature down,” he said.
For his concluding question, Baier asked, “Your family has been through a lot. … Are you still into this politics thing?” Senator Romney gestured to the Washington D.C. Temple in the background and while laughing said, “I’d much rather spend time here than in the Capitol Building! But politics is exciting, and there’s work to be done.”
Read more stories about the Washington D.C. Temple open house and renovation here:
- Read part of Pres. Nelson’s beautiful dedicatory prayer for DC Temple
- 13 things you might not know about the Washington D.C. Temple + renovation
- The mistakes and miracles behind the massive new Second Coming painting in the DC Temple
- Watch: Take a virtual tour of the new DC Temple with two Apostles
- Washington D.C. Temple inspires local ‘Reverse Open Houses’
- New, ethnically diverse temple artwork reflects global Church membership
- Close calls and angels in halls: Forgotten miracles from the first DC Temple open house
