After stepping down as the longest-serving Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his battles and plans to use his power in ways that may lead to disagreements with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
After stepping down as Senate leader, McConnell is free to choose his battles and may clash with President-elect Trump as he continues to wield his influence in the upcoming Congress.
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
Sending updates from the Capitol
During President Donald J. Trump’s previous term in office, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who was serving as the majority leader at the time, played a significant role in supporting and advancing Trump’s policies and plans.
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 take a different approach by prioritizing issues that may lead to disagreements with Mr. Trump regarding policy and personnel at the beginning of his second term.
Lately, including during a late-night voting session in the Senate last week, 82-year-old Mr. McConnell has been expressing to his colleagues that stepping down from his leadership position has made him feel free.
He has shown doubt about some of the president-elect’s controversial choices for his administration, choosing not to comment on their appointments and stating that the decision for former Representative Matt Gaetz to withdraw from consideration as attorney general was the right one. Additionally, 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.
Mr. McConnell, whose term ends in 2027 and has not confirmed if he will run again, intends to prioritize his interventionist foreign policy and maintain the Senate’s independence over the next two years. This contrasts with the incoming president’s "America First" stance. Despite Mr. Trump’s plans to assert control over the Senate, McConnell aims to uphold the chamber’s institutional autonomy.
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