After stepping down as the Senate leader, McConnell is now free to choose his own battles and intends to exert his influence in a manner that may clash with President-elect Donald J. Trump. McConnell, who has held the position for a long time, is preparing to take on a new role in the upcoming Congress.
After stepping down as Senate leader, McConnell is prepared to choose his battles independently. He plans to leverage his power in ways that may lead to conflicts with President-elect Trump.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a member of the Republican party from Kentucky and the Senate leader for the longest period of time, will be resigning from his position in January. Photo credits go to Kent Nishimura for The New York Times.
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Written by Catie Edmondson
Providing updates from the governmental
During President Donald J. Trump’s previous term in the White House, Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky, who was the majority leader at the time, significantly supported him and helped to advance his goals.
After serving as Senate leader for a long time, Mr. McConnell will be stepping down from that position in January. It seems that this time he is planning to take a different approach, concentrating on topics that may cause disagreements with Mr. Trump regarding policies and personnel as he begins his second term.
Recently, including during a late-night voting session in the Senate last week, 82-year-old Mr. McConnell has informed his colleagues that stepping down from his leadership position has made him feel a sense of freedom.
He has shown doubt about some of the president-elect’s controversial choices for his team, not commenting on their appointments and stating that the decision to withdraw former Representative Matt Gaetz from consideration as attorney general was the right one. Mr. McConnell has indicated that as he works to solidify his reputation in the Senate before he leaves, he intends to focus on two topics that he strongly disagrees with Mr. Trump on.
Mr. McConnell’s term is set to end in 2027, and it is unclear if he will run for another term. He has expressed his intention to prioritize his interventionist foreign policy views over the next two years, which contrasts with the incoming president’s "America First" stance. He also aims to protect the Senate’s autonomy from President Trump’s efforts to exert control over the chamber with his majority in January.
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