After stepping down from his position as Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his battles and use his power in ways that may lead to conflicts with President-elect Donald J. Trump. McConnell, who has held the position for the longest time, is planning to assert his influence in different ways in the upcoming Congress.
Mitch McConnell, who has been in leadership in the Senate for a long time, is stepping down from his position in the next Congress. He intends to use his power to choose which battles to fight, even if it means disagreeing with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Mitch McConnell, a Republican Senator from Kentucky and the Senate’s longest-serving leader, will be resigning from his position in January. Photo credit goes to Kent Nishimura for The New York Times.
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Authored by Catie Edmondson
Updating from the seat of government
When President Donald J. Trump was previously in the White House, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who held the position of majority leader at the time, played a significant role in supporting him and advancing his policies.
Mr. McConnell, who has been the Senate leader for the longest period, will be stepping down from his position in January. This time, he seems to be preparing to shift his focus to topics that may lead to disagreements with Mr. Trump on policies and personnel at the beginning of his second term.
Lately, Mr. McConnell, who is 82 years old, has expressed to his colleagues that stepping down from his leadership position has made him feel free and relieved. This was mentioned during a late-night voting session on the Senate floor last week.
He has expressed doubt about certain controversial choices made by the president-elect for his administration, choosing not to comment on their appointments and stating last week that the removal of former Representative Matt Gaetz from consideration as attorney general was the right decision. Additionally, Mr. McConnell has indicated that as he works to establish his legacy in the Senate, he intends to focus on two key issues that he strongly disagrees with Mr. Trump on.
Senator McConnell, whose term ends in 2027 and has not confirmed if he will run again, has stated that he will be focusing on promoting his interventionist foreign policy stance over the next two years. This stance differs from the president-elect’s "America First" approach. Additionally, McConnell aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy as President Trump, who will have control over all branches of government in January, has indicated his intention to exert influence over the Senate.
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