Story highlights "I was indeed very critical of Donald Trump during his campaign," Romney said

Romney said he would have gladly worked for Trump to help shape US foreign policy

Washington (CNN) During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump regularly attacked Mitt Romney for criticizing him. But the former Massachusetts governor now believes Trump will be open to criticism.

"I was more than a little surprised that the president-elect reached out to me to potentially serve as secretary of state of the United States," Romney wrote Saturday in the Salt Lake Tribune. "I see it as a welcome sign that he will be open to alternative views and even to critics."

Romney was a finalist to be the next secretary of state before Trump selected ExxonMobil Chairman Rex Tillerson for the top diplomatic spot.

Despite calling Trump a "phony" and a "fraud," Romney said he would have gladly worked for Trump to help shape US foreign policy.

"I was indeed very critical of Donald Trump during his campaign," he wrote. "But now he has been elected president and accordingly, if I could have helped shape foreign policy to protect the country I love, I would have been more than willing to do so."

Read More