After stepping down as the longest-serving Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his own battles and use his influence in ways that may clash with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
After stepping down from his role as Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his own battles and may clash with President-elect Trump as he uses his influence in different ways. McConnell is the Senate’s longest-serving leader and is preparing to assert his power in new ways in the upcoming Congress.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who has been serving as the Senate leader for an extended period of time, will be resigning from his position in January. Photo credit: 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 time in the White House, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who served as the majority leader at the time, played a significant role in supporting and advancing his agenda.
After serving as Senate leader for a long time, Mr. McConnell will be stepping down from the 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 at the beginning 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, as seen during a late-night voting session on the Senate floor last week.
He has expressed doubt about some of the president-elect’s controversial choices for his team, choosing not to comment on their selection and stating that it was right for former Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw from consideration as attorney general. Mr. McConnell has also indicated that he will focus on two key issues during his remaining time in the Senate, which happen to be areas where he and Mr. Trump do not see eye to eye.
Senator McConnell has not confirmed if he will seek another term after his current one ends in 2027. He intends to prioritize advancing his interventionist foreign policy stance over the next two years, which contrasts with the incoming president’s "America First" philosophy. Additionally, he aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy from potential influence by the new president, who has indicated his intentions to assert his control over the chamber with a governing majority starting in January.
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