Mitch McConnell, who has been the Senate leader for the longest time, is stepping down from his position in the upcoming Congress. He is now free to choose his own battles and is expected to use his power in ways that may clash with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
After serving as Senate leader for a long time, McConnell is stepping down from his position in the next Congress. He intends to use his influence in ways that may lead to clashes with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and the Senate leader for the longest amount of time, will be resigning from his position in January. Photo taken by Kent Nishimura for The New York Times.
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Written by Catie Edmondson
Reporting from the seat of government
When President Donald J. Trump was 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 resigning from the position in January. Instead of aligning with Mr. Trump, he seems to be preparing to focus on topics that may create disagreements with the President regarding policies and staff choices at the beginning of his second term.
Recently, 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 controversial choices made by the president-elect for his administration, choosing not to comment on their selections. He also mentioned that the decision to withdraw former Representative Matt Gaetz from consideration as attorney general was the right move. Mr. McConnell has indicated that he will focus on two issues during his remaining time in the Senate, which happen to be topics where he does not align with Mr. Trump.
Senator McConnell, whose term lasts until 2027, has not confirmed if he will run for another term. He has expressed his intention to prioritize his interventionist foreign policy approach in the next two years, despite President-elect’s focus on "America First." Additionally, McConnell aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy from President Trump’s efforts to exert influence over the chamber with his majority control.
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