After stepping down from his role as Senate leader, McConnell is looking forward to choosing his own battles and using his influence in ways that may lead to disagreements with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
After serving as Senate leader for a long time, McConnell is stepping down from his position in the upcoming Congress. He intends to use his influence to prioritize his own battles, even if it means conflicting 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 by Kent Nishimura for The New York Times.
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Written by Catie Edmondson
Reporting live from the Capitol
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 and advancing his agenda.
After serving as Senate leader for the longest period of time, Mr. McConnell is set to step down from his position in January. Instead of aligning with Mr. Trump on policy and personnel, he seems to be shifting his focus towards issues that may cause disagreements between them as Mr. Trump begins 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 and relieved. This feeling was particularly notable during a late-night voting session in the Senate last week.
He has shown doubt about some of the president-elect’s controversial choices for his administration, choosing not to comment on their selections. He also stated that he believed it was the right decision for former Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw from consideration as attorney general. Mr. McConnell has indicated that he will focus on two key issues during his remaining time in the Senate, even though they are topics on which he disagrees with Mr. Trump.
Mr. McConnell, whose term is set to end in 2027 and has not indicated if he will run again, intends to prioritize his interventionist foreign policy approach in the next two years, which contrasts with the incoming president’s "America First" strategy. He also aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy, especially as President Trump, who will have control of all branches of government, has expressed his intent to exert influence over the Senate.
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