Utah Senator-elect Mitt Romney’s column in the Washington Post Sunday bashing President Trump has stirred an outpouring of disapproval and denunciation among conservatives on Twitter, including from his own niece, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.

In his scathing op-ed, Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, said that Trump’s conduct in office and recent actions had “defined his presidency down.”

“On balance, his conduct over the past two years, particularly his actions last month, is evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office,” he wrote.

It’s not clear why Romney would want to stake out a position in the GOP as the “class A-hole,” as PJ Media’s Liz Sheld put it in her Morning Briefing, but his niece is having none of it. Without naming names, McDaniel made it clear in a tweet Monday morning that she was displeased with Uncle Mitt’s anti-Trump diatribe in the notoriously anti-Trump paper.

“POTUS is attacked and obstructed by the MSM media and Democrats 24/7,” McDaniel wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “For an incoming Republican freshman senator to attack @realdonaldtrump as their first act feeds into what the Democrats and media want and is disappointing and unproductive.”

POTUS is attacked and obstructed by the MSM media and Democrats 24/7. For an incoming Republican freshman senator to attack @realdonaldtrump as their first act feeds into what the Democrats and media want and is disappointing and unproductive. https://t.co/ArhI7Bi7bo — Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) January 2, 2019

McDaniel “pinned” the tweet to the top of her profile.

The president himself also chastised Romney and advised him to “be a TEAM player” rather than an ankle-biting Jeff Flake-type.

“Question will be, is he a Flake? I hope not,” Trump wrote.

Other conservatives on Twitter are voicing strong disapproval of Romney’s anti-Trump effort:

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY):

Like other Big Government Republicans who never liked Reagan, Mitt Romney wants to signal how virtuous he is in comparison to the President. Well, I’m most concerned and pleased with the actual conservative reform agenda @realDonaldTrump has achieved.

https://t.co/vNvp2ZwyK7 — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 2, 2019

Former GW Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer:

I’m disappointed in Mitt Romney. His defining act as an incoming Senator is to criticize Pres. Trump. If Senator-elect Romney thinks Trump is a bigger problem than Nancy Pelosi or Sen. Schumer then he has a lot to learn about how things get done in Washington. — Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 2, 2019

Former CIA analyst, now radio (Buck Sexton Show) and Hill.TV host Buck Sexton:

A fundamental disconnect endures with elites who think they need to tell us about Trump’s character flaws- We are well aware of his flaws. We also know Dems are willing to savage anyone’s character. Remember 2012, Mitt? So, we’ll stick a winner who gets the job done. Thanks. — Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) January 2, 2019

Iraq vet and Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth:

Thanks Utah. This guy will be worse than Flake & Corker combined. A hero in his own mind—and leader of The Resistance. Leftwing Media will love him now, and Mitt will arrogantly eat it up. https://t.co/kRfPs9w6o6 — Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) January 2, 2019

Conservative author, Breitbart columnist and commentator John Hayward:

Why is anyone surprised by Romney backstabbing Trump in an op-ed? Romney was always vicious as hell toward other Republicans. It's only when he fights Democrats that he puts on his kid gloves and laces them together behind his back. — John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 2, 2019

Pro-gun, conservative author and commentator John Lott:

Before the Republican primary Romney spoke highly of Trump. Afterward Romney started being somewhat more critical and now Romney has gone completely anti-Trump. On what basis can he claim that Mick Mulvaney is a horrible replacement for John Kelly as chief of staff? Seriously? https://t.co/kD3RMBPFsr — John R Lott Jr. (@JohnRLottJr) January 2, 2019

Conservative author and radio show host Mark Levin:

It's clear Romney will be a destructive force in the Senate, playing to the liberal media which will praise him & seeking to create a pathway to the presidency…. https://t.co/7XkZ35ksxq — Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) January 2, 2019

Pollster Frank Luntz pointed out Romney’s rank hypocrisy for gladly accepting the president’s endorsement last year when he was running for the Senate, and then attacking him in an op-ed days before being sworn into office:

The Federalist’s Julie Kelly:

Romney lost a very winnable race in 2012. Backed off immediately after Benghazi attacks, cowered to media to cover it up. Gave us 4 more years of Obama, which gave us Iran nuke deal, Paris Climate, a Syrian war that led to an international refugee crisis and a stagnant economy. — Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) January 2, 2019

Head of the Conservative Union Matt Schlapp joked about Romney’s place of residence, but not about the fact that CPAC won’t be inviting him this year:

We don’t plan on inviting any of the three senators from Massachusetts to @CPAC — Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) January 2, 2019

Even frequent Trump-critic Philip Klein did not like Romney’s op-ed:

Host of the Dan Bongino Show podcast, best-selling author, and frequent Fox News guest Dan Bongino went on a diatribe of his own in a series of angry tweets:

Jeff Flake has passed the baton. The captain of the GOP sell outs needed a replacement to ensure the GOP remains a laughingstock to their base. And Mitt stepped right up to fill the void. Mitt’s a natural for this part. #SellOut https://t.co/mhz7ixRD5u — Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 2, 2019

This guy is hard to take. With everything going on in the country right now Mitt swears in and right away he hits the POTUS. Few of us are surprised though, we all knew Mitt to be a world-class opportunist. What a joke. https://t.co/r3Y0rsJbMv — Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 2, 2019

Romney represents EVERYTHING wrong with the shell of a Party called the GOP. They’ve sold us out for too long & gotten away w/it. I’m done apologizing for these imbeciles. Either get on the train towards fixing the disaster you swamp goons put us in or get the hell out of the way — Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 2, 2019

Sell out Mitt Romney’s pathetic attempt at sabotaging President Trump is, undoubtedly, another catastrophic Romney miscalculation. Romney thinks he looks like voice of “reason” but he really looks like the face of an opportunistic fraud. #EpicFail — Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 2, 2019

Mitt Romney ‘Decimated’ The Republican Party And Should Be ‘Exhibit 1’ With Jeff Flake In Museum Of The Swamp, Says Dan Bongino https://t.co/1PbAQlJCQR — Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 2, 2019

Romney didn’t have the spine to take on Obama yet jumped at the opportunity to SELL US OUT before even being sworn in. This guy is a disgrace and I’m begging the Democrats to claim him. We don’t want him. We don’t need him. — Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 2, 2019

Mitt Romney is the new captain of the GOP sell-out ship. This ship is eager to leave port to screw you, your family,& your kids over. They can’t bow down to the Libs & bankrupt the country quickly enough.The gutless crew members of this ship have spines of pure jelly. Disgraceful — Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 2, 2019

Romney IS the reason sane Americans have zero faith in both the filthy swamp, and the rats 🐀 that occupy it. I love this country. It’s everything to me. And I’m ashamed that this class of imbeciles has the power to ruin it. God help us. — Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 2, 2019

Does Romney really think that aligning himself with reviled never-Trumpers like Jeff Flake, Bill Kristol, Max Boot, Jennifer Rubin, Evan McMullin, John Kasich, and Steve Schmidt is a good way to position himself for a 2020 primary challenge against the president? He couldn’t possibly be that politically oblivious, could he?

Or is he — as a new voice in the Senate — just earnestly expressing what a lot of establishment Republicans really think about Trump but are too craven to say in public?

Either way, it’s not a good look for him or the entire GOP.