Former Utah senator Mitt Romney publicly rebuked a satirical Salt Lake Tribune article that joked about his Mormon faith, then acknowledged the piece was meant as humor after its author and the newspaper pointed out the satire.
The Tribune published the humor column Sunday morning. Later that night, Romney — who left the Senate in January 2025 — posted on X saying he and his wife attend sacrament meeting every Sunday and serve in their church, calling the article "poorly sourced" and "laughable." Author Eli McCann and the Tribune subsequently clarified that the column was a satirical commentary intended to lampoon gossip about public figures' religious and political beliefs. Romney later issued a statement to the paper quipping, "Ah, satire: 1. Me: 0."
McCann wrote on social media that his piece was a satire about how people spread false rumors about celebrities and public figures. He said Romney "did not understand" the intent when he responded to an italicized, fictitious quote in the column that said, "I heard Mitt Romney hasn't gone to church since about 2005?" The Tribune followed the satire with a news item reporting on Romney's initial reaction and his later acknowledgment of the joke.
Romney's correction on X framed his response as a defense of his faith. "I am a true-blue member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ann and I attend sacrament meeting every Sunday and enjoy service in the temple," he wrote. Some replies to Romney's post showed readers also failed to recognize the article as satire; others used the exchange to criticize or mock Romney's politics and language choices.
Romney's affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been long documented. During his 2012 Republican presidential campaign, he featured members of his LDS congregation at the Republican National Convention. As a senator, Romney has cited his faith in explaining political decisions, including his vote to convict former President Donald Trump during the 2020 impeachment trial, where he said his religious beliefs informed his sense of impartial justice. Most recently, Romney traveled this year with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, a singing group associated with the church.
The episode underscores the growing speed and reach of social media responses to news and commentary and the challenges public figures face in distinguishing satire from reportage in fast-moving online environments. The Tribune's humor piece aimed to satirize that very phenomenon, illustrating how easily rumors can be repeated without verification.
Romney's initial post remained visible on X as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Tribune's follow-up coverage. The paper and McCann declined to expand beyond their published explanations, and Romney's later statement to the Tribune served as his public acknowledgment that he had misread the intent of the piece.
The exchange drew attention not only for the misstep but for what it revealed about political figures' relationships with the press and with digital platforms where short-form posts often replace traditional calls and clarifications. In this instance, the misunderstanding was resolved publicly and quickly, with all parties acknowledging the satire and the ensuing social media mix-up.