After relinquishing his position as the longest-serving Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his own battles and use his influence in ways that may lead to conflicts with President-elect Donald J. Trump in the next Congress.
After stepping down from his role as Senate leader, McConnell is looking to choose his own battles and use his power in a way that may clash with the incoming President Trump.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and the Senate’s leader for the longest 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
Providing updates from the legislative
When President Donald J. Trump was last in the White House, Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky, who was 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 is resigning from the position in January. This time, he seems to be preparing to take a different approach, shifting 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. This was evident during a late-night voting session 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 appointments. He also mentioned 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 issues that he strongly disagrees with Mr. Trump on as he works to solidify his legacy in the Senate.
Mitch McConnell, whose term ends in 2027 and has not yet decided if he will run for another term, has stated that he will be focusing on his interventionist foreign policy beliefs in the next two years. This stance contradicts the incoming president’s "America First" approach. McConnell also aims to protect the Senate’s independence, especially with the incoming president’s intentions to have more control over the chamber.
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