After stepping down from his position as the Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his own battles and is prepared to use his power in ways that may clash with President-elect Donald J. Trump. McConnell, who has served as Senate leader for the longest time, is looking to assert his influence independently.
After serving as Senate leader for a long time, McConnell is stepping down from his position in the upcoming Congress. He is now planning to use his influence in ways that may cause conflicts with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and the Senate leader for the longest time, will be resigning from his position in January. Photo taken by Kent Nishimura for The New York Times.
Backed by
Written by Catie Edmondson.
News coverage from the government building
During President Donald J. Trump’s time in the White House, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who was serving as the majority leader at the time, played a significant role in supporting him and helping to advance his policies.
After serving as Senate leader for a long time, Mr. McConnell will be stepping down from that position in January. Instead of aligning himself with Mr. Trump, he seems to be shifting his focus to address issues that may lead to disagreements with the President on policy and personnel as he begins his second term.
Recently, Senator 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 feeling was particularly evident during a late-night voting session in the Senate last week.
He has shown doubt about some of the president-elect’s controversial choices for his administration, choosing to not comment on their selection and stating last week that it was right for former Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw from consideration as attorney general. Mr. McConnell has hinted that as he works to establish his legacy in his remaining time in the Senate, he will focus on two issues that he strongly disagrees with Mr. Trump on.
Mr. McConnell, whose term will end in 2027 and has not confirmed if he will run again, intends to prioritize advancing his interventionist foreign policy in the next two years. This approach contrasts with the incoming president’s "America First" stance. Additionally, he aims to focus on safeguarding the Senate’s autonomy, especially in light of Mr. Trump’s intentions to exert influence over the chamber with his incoming administration.
We are currently experiencing difficulties in accessing the content of the article.
To use this website properly, make sure to turn on JavaScript
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access. If you are currently in Reader mode, please log out and sign in to your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all of The Times’ content.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access.
Are you already a member? Please sign in to access your
Interested in accessing all content from The Times? Subscribe today to gain
Prom
Index of the Website
Navigation for Site Information