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Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Thursday voiced strong opposition to current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, calling him a 鈥渇raud, a 鈥減hony,鈥� and 鈥渧ery, very not smart鈥� while decrying Trump鈥檚 鈥渢hird-grade antics鈥� and calling his policy proposals 鈥渇limsy at best.鈥�

In a short but punchy speech at the University of Utah鈥檚 Hinckley Institute of Politics, Mr. Romney did not just sign up for the #NeverTrump movement of conservatives opposed to Mr. Trump as party standard-bearer. He seemed eager to go even further, perhaps into a new social media hashtag: #NeverEverTrumpInAMillionYears.

Trump鈥檚 embrace of tariff-like trade penalties would send consumer prices soaring and cause businesses to flee America, Romney said. Trump company bankruptcies have 鈥渃rushed small businesses and the men and women who work for them,鈥� according to the 2012 GOP standard-bearer.

Romney ran through a list of now-defunct Trump brands, from Trump Airlines to Trump Magazine, Trump Vodka, and Trump Steaks.

All, all are now gone with the wind. The business that remains is one built with cash Trump inherited from his dad. 鈥淎 business genius he is not,鈥� said Romney.

Romney then went through a brief history of Trump鈥檚 insults, from his mockery of a disabled reporter, to his insulting of Carly Fiorina鈥檚 personal appearance, and his attribution of a reporter鈥檚 question to her menstrual cycle.

Trump has bragged about his romantic exploits during the Vietnam era, said Romney 鈥� a time when Sen. John McCain, whom Trump has said is not a hero, was imprisoned and tortured by the North Vietnamese.

鈥淗e creates scapegoats of Muslims and Mexican immigrants,鈥� said Romney, adding that he鈥檚 embraced torture and the killing of innocent family members of terrorists.

鈥淭his is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss,鈥� Romney said.

That was the general tone. It went on a bit longer, and included an anti-Hillary Clinton part that was fairly tough as well.

In the short run, the beneficiary of this rampage could well be Donald Trump. Mitt Romney is just the kind of establishment Republican Trump supporters think has been rolling over for the Democrats for years. He begged for Trump鈥檚 endorsement, they鈥檒l say. He blew a winnable race against Barack Obama, they鈥檒l say. And so forth and so on.

Anyway, it鈥檚 too late. Trump is closing in on the nomination. The time to stop him was in January, not March.

鈥淭rump has already proven himself a winner in 10 primaries and caucuses, and the attacks against him are too little, too late,鈥� writes the Monitor鈥檚 Husna Haq.

That might be true 鈥� for the primary. But we quoted Romney鈥檚 remarks at length for a reason. Study the general form. You鈥檙e going to be hearing them again, often.

That鈥檚 because this is a preview of the general election. Romney鈥檚 basic argument 鈥� that Trump is a con man and a boor who would hurt working families while making the United States weaker abroad and poorer at home 鈥� is going to be the Democratic Party playbook for a general election. At least it will be if Trump is indeed the nominee.

The Democratic nominee (OK, Hillary Clinton, probably) or a surrogate will be saying something like this every day from July until November. It鈥檒l be in every Democrat鈥檚 stump speech. For all we know they鈥檒l just play a tape of Romney for warm-up. Could a Trump candidacy sustain that kind of pounding?

Maybe it could 鈥� it鈥檚 been a pretty weird election cycle. But Trump has been fortunate to avoid sustained attack from any of his rivals to this point. Romney may not have the time or resources to keep this up. The Clinton (or Bernie Sanders) campaign will.

Plus, the Romney outline, as the Democrats will adapt it, won鈥檛 let Trump pick the playing field. Democrats will ignore his latest antics to just repeat what they鈥檒l portray as Trump鈥檚 demonstrated problems and faults. They will try to make Trump answer them, not the other way around.

And it will be focused. In a multi-candidate GOP race The Donald has not been everyone鈥檚 constant target. Sen. Marco Rubio (R) of Florida has spent a lot of time attacking Sen. Ted Cruz (R) of Texas, and vice versa. Trump鈥檚 been able to break out and near victory while everybody is flailing at somebody else.

So, yes, Romney perhaps did not dissuade any current Trump supporters on Thursday. But the same argument could have a different effect on a different and larger audience in the fall.