After being freed from his leadership role, McConnell is prepared to choose his battles independently. As the longest-serving Senate leader, he will step down in the upcoming Congress and intends to leverage his power in ways that may lead to disagreements with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
After stepping down as Senate leader, McConnell is free to choose his own battles and use his influence in ways that may clash with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who has held the position of 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
Providing updates from the headquarters
During President Donald J. Trump’s previous term, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and the majority leader at the time, was instrumental in supporting and advancing his policies while in the White House.
After serving as Senate leader for the longest period of time, Mr. McConnell will be stepping down from his position in January. It seems that this time he is planning to shift his focus towards issues that may lead to disagreements with Mr. Trump regarding policies and personnel as he begins his second term.
Recently, Mr. McConnell, 82, has been expressing to his colleagues that stepping down from his leadership position has made him feel free and relieved. This includes conversations during a late-night voting session on the Senate floor last week.
He has expressed doubt about certain controversial choices made by the president-elect for his administration, choosing not to comment on their selections. He also mentioned that he thought it was the right decision for former Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw from consideration as attorney general. 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 has not confirmed if he will run for another term after his current one ends in 2027. He has stated that his focus in the next two years will be on promoting his interventionist foreign policy, despite it differing from the "America First" approach of the incoming president. Additionally, he aims to protect the Senate’s independence while facing pressure from the president-elect, who intends to exert influence over the chamber with his majority in January.
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