After stepping down from his position as Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his own battles and use his influence in a way that may clash with Trump’s plans as the President-elect. McConnell, who has served as Senate leader for the longest time, is preparing to take on new challenges in the next Congress.
After stepping down from his position as Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his own battles and plans to use his power in ways that may lead to disagreements with President-elect Donald J. Trump. McConnell, who has spent the most time as Senate leader, is ready to assert his influence in different ways.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who has served as Senate leader for the longest period, 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
Reporting live from the seat of
During President Donald J. Trump’s time in office, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who was the majority leader at the time, played a significant role in supporting and advancing his policies.
After serving as Senate leader for a long time, Mr. McConnell is set to step down from his position in January. It seems that this time he is aiming to take a different approach, prioritizing issues that may lead to disagreements with Mr. Trump regarding policy and personnel as he begins 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. This was particularly evident during a late-night session of voting on the Senate floor last week.
He has shown doubt about some of the president-elect’s controversial choices for his team, remaining silent on their appointments and indicating that the decision for former Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw from consideration as attorney general was the right one. Mr. McConnell has also indicated that as he works to solidify his legacy in the Senate, he will focus on two issues that he strongly disagrees with Mr. Trump on.
Mr. McConnell, who will be in office until 2027 and has not yet announced if he will run again, intends to prioritize his proactive foreign policy approach over the next two years. This approach differs from the incoming president’s "America First" strategy. Additionally, McConnell aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy in the face of Trump’s plans to exert influence over the chamber.
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