‘He will have my support.’ McConnell endorses Trump despite fractured relationship
Mitch McConnell endorsed Donald Trump for president on Wednesday, a day after Trump racked up a volume of victories on Super Tuesday and one week following McConnell’s announcement he would relinquish his Senate leadership position following the November elections.
“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States. It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support,” McConnell said.
While McConnell’s move is no surprise, it is notable given his disharmonious relationship with the former president who has targeted the Kentuckian viciously since their falling out after the Jan. 6. 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. McConnell condemned Trump for his actions before the attack but voted against convicting him of impeachable offenses. Critics say McConnell’s impeachment vote opened the door for Trump’s comeback.
No fan of Trump or his style, McConnell remains a party man and consistently said he’d support the GOP nominee in 2024, despite the personal invective Trump has hurled at him for years.
In his statement, McConnell chose to highlight the policy work he conducted during Trump’s first term.
“During his presidency, we worked together to accomplish great things for the American people including tax reform that supercharged our economy and a generational change of our federal judiciary — most importantly, the Supreme Court,” McConnell said. “I look forward to the opportunity of switching from playing defense against the terrible policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared towards making a real difference in improving the lives of the American people.”
Two weeks ago, Trump told a Fox News host he didn’t know if he could work with McConnell if he wins the White House, but predicted he’d earn McConnell’s support.
A week later came McConnell’s revelation on the Senate floor that he would leave his post as GOP leader in November.
“McConnell’s endorsement of Trump at the end of his Senate career is perfect for the moment. A soulless partisan whose actions toward the judiciary and after January 6th eroded democracy and enabled Trump’s resurgence,” said Blake Rutherford, an Arkansas-based Democratic operative. “Today completes the circle. Their legacies are intertwined.”
