But a closer look at the day’s events—and the benefit of hindsight—reveal some clues that Romney knew at the time he wouldn’t be throwing his hat in the ring.
He talked more about the past than the future
Speaking at Mississippi State University, Romney spent the first half of his speech talking almost entirely about his 2012 campaign when he was the Republican nominee.
Many of the light-hearted and funny moments in the speech occurred while Romney used self-deprecating humor to describe the last presidential cycle. “You may not have heard: I lost,” Romney said towards the beginning of his speech.
He drew a big laugh from the audience when he said a supporter once advised him to stop shaving so he can “grow a little more stubble for a few days to look more sexy.”
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What you do, Romney told Mullen, “is a lot more important that what you say,” noting how a football coach’s reputation is almost entirely based on his record. “You could be the sweetest talking person in the world, but unless you got a record, you’re in trouble,” he said.
Still, he was doing a meet-and-greet—in his jeans and a plaid shirt like he used to—and anyone watching him could have walked away thinking this was a “go.”
The mystery of his barbecue outing–the will he or won’t he–was perfectly captured in a response Romney gave to one man who urged him to run again.
“You’re very kind,” Romney replied, patting the man on the arm. “I wish I were there right now, I gotta tell ya.”
CNN’s Steve Brusk contributed to this report.
