After serving as Senate leader for a long time, McConnell is stepping down and preparing to use his power in ways that may lead to disagreements with President-elect Trump.
After stepping down from his role as Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his battles and plans to assert his influence 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 use his newfound freedom to take on different challenges.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who has been the Senate leader for the longest period of time, 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
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During President Donald J. Trump’s previous term in the White House, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who served as the majority leader at the time, played a significant part in supporting and advancing Trump’s policies and priorities.
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 focus on different issues that may lead to disagreements with Mr. Trump regarding policies and personnel at the start of his second term.
Lately, Mr. McConnell, who is 82 years old, has expressed to his colleagues that stepping down from his leadership role has made him feel free and unburdened. This sentiment was shared during a late-night voting session on the Senate floor last week.
He has shown doubts about some of the president-elect’s controversial choices for his cabinet, choosing not to comment on their appointments. Last week, he mentioned that it was appropriate for former Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw from consideration for attorney general. Mr. McConnell has also indicated that he will focus on two issues during his remaining time in the Senate, which happen to be topics where he and Mr. Trump strongly disagree.
Mr. McConnell, whose term lasts until 2027 and has not confirmed if he will run again, intends to prioritize his interventionist foreign policy in the next two years. This contrasts with the president-elect’s "America First" stance. He also aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy, especially as Mr. Trump, who will have control of the government in January, has shown intentions to exert his influence over the chamber.
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