Mitt Romney Reacts to DNC Surprise Guest Speculation

Republican Senator Mitt Romney on Thursday reacted to what he says are “fake news posts” claiming that he would be featured as a surprise guest at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
Amid mounting speculation over who would be filling a gap in Thursday’s DNC programming, Romney took to X, formerly Twitter, saying: “Contrary to fake news posts, I am not the surprise guest at the DNC tonight.” Romney remains a Republican despite being an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump.
“My guess is that it will be Beyoncé or Taylor Swift,” he added. “So disappointing, I know!”
A relatively small number of X users had speculated that Romney might be making an appearance earlier in the day, with other guesses including Swift, Beyoncé and former President George W. Bush.
“I have a feeling Romney will be at the DNC today,” wrote @goldenpolitical, a self-described “political predictor.”
“Well, if Taylor Swift is not the special guest at the DNC tonight and instead it’s someone like Mitt Romney, there will be a riot,” @colinwmatthews wrote.
“The DNC surprise is 120% Mitt Romney, you heard it here first. #DNC2024CHICAGO,” wrote @GOPNumber1Fan.

Newsweek reached out for comment to the DNC via email on Thursday night.
Newsmax TV host John Bachman said in a post that Bush spokesperson Freddy Ford told him that “the former president is ‘most definitely not’ in Chicago to speak at the DNC.”
The DNC has already sprung some surprises over the past week, including a speech by Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday night. Speculation over a potential unscheduled guest on Thursday night has mostly centered on Swift and Beyoncé.
While Swift may be available after just wrapping up the European leg of her Eras Tour, several reports suggest that Beyoncé might be more likely to appear before Vice President Kamala Harris concludes the convention in a speech formally accepting the Democratic presidential nomination.
Beyoncé has already given the Harris campaign permission to use her song, Freedom, which typically plays at Harris rallies as she walks on stage. Some reports late Thursday indicated that the DNC house band was heard rehearsing some Beyoncé songs earlier in the day.
Reuters shared an anonymously sourced report from TMZ claiming that Beyoncé would be performing live, although it was not clear if there would be one or more other surprises on Thursday.
Beyoncé has a history of supporting the presidential campaigns of Democrats, backing Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016 and President Joe Biden and Harris in 2020.
Swift also backed Biden and Harris in 2020 and has offered criticism of Trump, despite the former president having recently shared AI-generated images that falsely suggested she was endorsing him.
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