Mitch McConnell, the Senate leader with the longest tenure, is stepping down from his leadership role in the upcoming Congress. He is now free to choose his battles and is expected to use his influence in ways that may lead to conflicts with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
After being freed from his leadership position, McConnell is preparing to choose his own battles. As the Senate’s longest-serving leader, he will step down in the upcoming Congress and intends to exert his influence in ways that may lead to disagreements with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and the Senate’s longest-serving leader, will be resigning from his position in January. Photo credit: Kent Nishimura for The New York Times.
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Written by Catie Edmondson
Live coverage from the Capitol
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 stepping down from his position in January. This time, he seems to be preparing to shift his focus to topics that might lead to disagreements with Mr. Trump regarding policies and staff as he begins 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, keeping quiet about their selections and stating last week that it was right for former Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw from consideration as attorney general. Mr. McConnell has indicated that as he works to solidify his legacy in the Senate, he intends to focus on two issues that he strongly disagrees with Mr. Trump on.
Mitch McConnell, whose term as Senate Majority Leader ends in 2027, has not confirmed whether he will run for another term. He intends to prioritize advancing his interventionist foreign policy views over the next two years, despite differing from President-elect’s "America First" approach. McConnell also aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy amidst President Trump’s intentions to exert influence over the chamber with a Republican majority in January.
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