Romney: Trump's baseless election claims could be echoed "by authoritarians"

President Trump's continued unfounded claim that Democrats stole the 2020 election from him through widespread voter fraud and mail-in ballots is "rhetoric that gets picked up by authoritarians around the world," Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday.

The big picture: Trump's refusal to concede the election has earned rebuke from a handful of prominent Republicans, including Romney, as world leaders congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

What he's saying: When asked by Chuck Todd if Trump's strategy to fight the results of the election — which includes litigation across several states that has had little effect — "undermines the democracy," Romney said.

• "Well, I'm more concerned about the language that's used. I think it's fine to pursue every legal avenue that one has. But I think one has to be careful in the choice of words."
• "I think when you say that the election was corrupt or stolen or rigged, that that's unfortunately rhetoric that gets picked up by authoritarians around the world. And I think it also discourages confidence in our democratic process here at home."