After stepping down from his position as Senate leader, Mitch McConnell is preparing to choose his battles independently. As the longest-serving leader in the Senate, he is looking to leverage his influence in ways that may lead to disagreements with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
After stepping down from his leadership role in the Senate, McConnell is now free to choose his battles and use his power in ways that may conflict with President-elect Donald Trump. McConnell, who has served as Senate leader for a long time, is planning to assert his influence independently in the upcoming Congress.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and the Senate leader for the longest time, will be resigning from his position in January. Photo by Kent Nishimura for The New York Times.
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Written by Catie Edmondson
Covering news from the government
During President Donald J. Trump’s time in office, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who served as the majority leader at the time, played a significant role in supporting Trump and helping to advance his policies.
After serving as Senate leader for a long time, Mr. McConnell will be stepping down from his position in January. It seems that this time he is planning to take a different approach, by prioritizing issues that may lead to disagreements with Mr. Trump regarding policies and personnel as he begins his second term.
Lately, including during a late-night vote session in the Senate last week, Mr. McConnell, who is 82 years old, has been telling his colleagues that stepping down from his leadership position has made him feel free.
He has shown doubt about some of the president-elect’s most controversial choices for his administration, choosing not to comment on their selections and stating last week that former Representative Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal from consideration as attorney general was the right decision. Mr. McConnell has indicated that as he works to solidify his legacy in the Senate, he will focus on two issues that he disagrees with Mr. Trump on.
Mr. McConnell, who will be in office until 2027 but has not confirmed if he will run again, intends to prioritize his interventionist foreign policy over the next two years. This approach contrasts with the president-elect’s "America First" stance. Additionally, McConnell aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy, especially with the incoming president signaling intentions to exert influence over the chamber.
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