After stepping down as the Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his own battles and plans to exert his influence in ways that may lead to conflicts with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate leader for the longest period of time, 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. McConnell feels free from the constraints of leadership and is prepared to choose his battles.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and the Senate leader for the longest period 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
Covering news from the government
When President Donald J. Trump was previously in office, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who was the majority leader at the time, played a significant role in supporting him and advancing his policies.
After serving as Senate leader for a long time, Mr. McConnell will be relinquishing his position in January. Instead of aligning with Mr. Trump, he seems to be preparing to address topics that may lead to disagreements with the president in 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 and relieved. This was especially evident during a late-night voting session in the Senate last week.
He has shown doubt about certain controversial choices made by the president-elect for his administration, choosing not to comment on their selections. He recently stated that it was right for former Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw from consideration as attorney general. Mr. McConnell has indicated that he will focus on two key issues during his remaining time in the Senate, which happen to be areas where he differs significantly from Mr. Trump.
Mr. McConnell, whose term ends in 2027 and has not confirmed if he will run again, intends to prioritize his interventionist foreign policy in the next two years. This differs from the president-elect’s "America First" approach. He also aims to safeguard the Senate’s independence while President Trump, who will have control of all branches of government in January, has shown intentions to exert his influence over the Senate.
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