Story highlights Romney's condemnation highlighted the ill will between the last two GOP nominees for president

The former Massachusetts governor harshly criticized Republican candidates

Park City, Utah (CNN) Mitt Romney on Saturday torched Donald Trump and the Republicans who failed to stop his climb to the party's presidential nomination, saying the current fortunes of the GOP are "breaking my heart."

Romney's condemnation, made here at the Stein Eriksen Lodge before hundreds of his donors and business partners, highlighted the ill will between the last two GOP nominees for president.

The former Massachusetts governor harshly criticized Republican candidates such as Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, as well as super PACs such as Jeb Bush's well-funded Right to Rise group, for not stopping Trump in the primary. The two candidates largely avoided attacking Trump for much of their campaigns. He made the comments before many of the individuals who had helped fund those very candidates.

"Ted Cruz was basically praising Donald Trump through the whole process until the very end," Romney told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, who was hosting the discussion. As for Kasich, "he was in well after the time there was no possible pathway to becoming the nominee."

Romney's broadsides were warmly received by many of his allies, earning a 21-second round of applause when he wondered aloud about the future of the GOP.

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