Mitt Romney returns to Massachusetts as a GOP outlier: "Republicans now salute and do what the president tells them."

It's been 19 years since Mitt Romney walked out of the State House in Boston to end of his lone term as Governor of Massachusetts. And when he made a rare local public appearance on Monday to join a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of Romneycare, the landmark Massachusetts health care reform, he didn't look like he'd aged a day.

But there's been a lot of water under the bridge since 2007. Romney ran twice for president, winning the Republican nomination in 2012. After losing that race to incumbent President Barack Obama, he ran afoul of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, warning his party against nominating Trump in 2016, then becoming a MAGA pariah during his term as a U.S. Senator from Utah when he twice voted to convict Trump during impeachment trials.

Romney took note of his political journey during his remarks at Monday's celebration, remarking on the bipartisanship that made Romneycare possible.

"Having spent six years in Washington, I have greater appreciation for what we did here in Massachusetts," he said to laughter from the audience at Faneuil Hall.

But when he sat down for a Boston TV exclusive interview with WBZ, Romney was not in a joking mood.

He expressed dismay over Republican support for the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" that makes deep cuts in Medicaid and is forecast to take away coverage for up to 200,000 Massachusetts residents. 

"Look for adjustments in policy as opposed to just taking people off health care rolls because it will not in the long run save money," he said, noting that emergency rooms are legally obligated to serve patients who show up without coverage. "People who get sick will be treated. That costs money."

Romney didn't mince words about fellow members of Congress who he said have too often ceded their authority to the White House. 

"Republicans now salute and do what the president tells them. And by the way, Democrats did the same thing under Joe Biden," he said.

What is fueling this collapse of institutional balance of power?

"[Being in Congress] is the best job they're ever gonna have and they want to hang onto it, and they don't want to lose an election," said Romney. "It's terribly embarrassing, They're gonna go back home and do what? Sell real estate, which a number of us end up doing? No, they want to stay there." 

And are willing to do whatever it takes, he added. "One senator said to me 'Mitt. sometimes we have to rise above principle and support the party.'"

So where is the GOP - and the USA - headed? 

"The current course would say that JD Vance will be the Republican nominee in 2028. I can't tell you whether he's gonna win or lose but that means a continuation of, if you will, the MAGA movement within the Republican Party. But that can be entirely changed by events beyond anyone's prognostication at this stage. The country will do well. I like what Winston Churchill said: 'You can trust the American people to get things right, after they've exhausted all the alternatives.'"

Romney said he'd like to see term limits on members of Congress but doubts it will ever happen. And he vows to keep speaking out when he thinks he can make an impact. That's a tough slog in a party where these days, Romney's center-right views make him an outlier.

You can watch the interview with Romney in its entirety this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on WBZ-TV News and CBS News Boston.