Having stepped down from his leadership role, McConnell is now free to choose his battles as he sees fit. As the longest-serving Senate leader, he is preparing to exert his influence in ways that may lead to conflicts with President-elect Donald J. Trump in the upcoming Congress.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate leader with the longest tenure, is stepping down from his position in the upcoming Congress. He intends to use his power in ways that may lead to conflicts with President-elect Donald J. Trump, now that he is no longer bound by leadership responsibilities.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who has been the Senate leader for the longest amount of 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
Providing updates from the government
During President Donald J. Trump’s previous term in office, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who served as the majority leader at the time, played a significant part in supporting and advancing his policies and initiatives.
After being the Senate leader for a long time, Mr. McConnell is leaving that role in January. It seems that this time he is preparing to shift his focus to issues that may cause disagreements with Mr. Trump regarding policies and personnel at the beginning of his second term.
Mr. McConnell, aged 82, has confided in his colleagues that stepping down from his leadership position has made him feel free. This feeling of liberation was expressed during a late-night session of votes on the Senate floor last week.
He has shown doubt about some of the president-elect’s controversial choices for his administration, choosing not to comment on their selections and stating that the withdrawal of former Representative Matt Gaetz from consideration as attorney general was the right decision. Mr. McConnell has indicated 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, who will serve until 2027 and has not confirmed if he will run for re-election, intends to prioritize his interventionist foreign policy beliefs in the next two years. This differs from the incoming president’s "America First" strategy. He also aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy as Mr. Trump, with control over all branches of government, plans to exert his influence over the chamber.
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