After stepping down as the longest-serving Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his battles and use his influence independently. This could potentially lead to disagreements with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
After stepping down from his position as the longest-serving Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his battles and plans to use his influence in ways that may conflict with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and the Senate leader for the longest amount of time, will be resigning from his position in January. Photo credit goes to Kent Nishimura for The New York Times.
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Written by Catie Edmondson
Journalism from the government building
During President Donald J. Trump’s tenure in the White House, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who served as the majority leader at the time, was instrumental in supporting him and helping to advance his policies.
After serving as Senate leader for the longest amount of time, Mr. McConnell will be stepping down from that role in January. This time, he seems to be preparing to shift his focus towards issues that might lead to disagreements with Mr. Trump regarding policies and personnel at the start of his second term.
Lately, Mr. McConnell, who is 82 years old, has been expressing to his colleagues that stepping down from his leadership position has made him feel free and relieved. This sentiment was shared during a late-night voting session in the Senate last week.
He has shown doubt about some of the president-elect’s most controversial choices for his team, keeping quiet about these picks and stating recently that it was right for former Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw from consideration as attorney general. Additionally, Mr. McConnell has indicated that as he works to solidify his legacy in the Senate, he intends to focus on two key issues where he differs significantly from Mr. Trump.
Mitch McConnell, who is currently serving until 2027, has not confirmed if he will run for another term. He has expressed his intention to prioritize his interventionist foreign policy approach in the next two years, despite conflicting with the incoming president’s "America First" strategy. McConnell also aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy in the face of President Trump’s plans to exert control over the chamber with his upcoming governing power.
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