After stepping down as Senate leader in the upcoming Congress, McConnell is now free from the constraints of leadership and is prepared to pursue his own battles using his influence, even if it means conflicting with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
After stepping down from his role as Senate leader, Mitch McConnell is preparing to take on new challenges and use his influence in ways that may lead to disagreements with President-elect Donald J. Trump. McConnell is no longer bound by his leadership position and is free to choose his own battles.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and the Senate leader for the longest duration, will be resigning from his position in January.
Backed by
Written by Catie Edmondson
Reporting from the government building.
During President Donald J. Trump’s previous term in the White House, 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 that position in January. This time, it seems he is planning to shift his focus to 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 role has made him feel free and relieved. This was evident during a late-night voting session in the Senate last week.
He has expressed doubt about some of the president-elect’s controversial choices for his administration, not commenting on their selection and stating that former Representative Matt Gaetz withdrawing from consideration as attorney general was the right decision. Mr. McConnell has indicated that as he works to solidify his legacy in the Senate, he will focus on two issues that he strongly disagrees with Mr. Trump on.
Senator McConnell’s term is set to end in 2027, and it is uncertain whether he will run for reelection. He has expressed his intention to prioritize advancing his interventionist foreign policy approach over the next two years, which contrasts with President-elect’s "America First" strategy. Additionally, McConnell aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy from President Trump’s efforts to exert control over the chamber with his upcoming trifecta of governing power in January.
We are experiencing difficulties in accessing the content of the article.
To use all the features on this website, make sure to
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access. If you are currently in Reader mode, please log out and sign into your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all of The Times.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm access.
Are you currently a member? Please sign in.
Interested in accessing all content from The Times? Sign up for a
Prom
Index of Pages
Navigation for Site Information