Biden Mourns McConnell’s Departure Even Though They ‘Fought Like Hell’

Isaac SchorrFeb 28th, 2024, 3:00 pm
 
McConnell and Biden

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

President Joe Biden expressed regret over Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) announcement that he would be stepping down from his leadership post in the GOP conference on Wednesday.

Biden and McConnell had a working relationship across the aisle during Biden’s first few years in office, the product of a decades-long friendship between the two, having served in the Senate together for over 20 years.

“He and I have trust, we’ve got a great relationship,” Biden told reporters about McConnell on Wednesday afternoon, according to Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich. “He fought like hell but he never, never, never misrepresented anything. I’m sorry to hear he’s stepping down.”

“Father Time remains undefeated,” declared the 82-year-old McConnell during a speech on the Senate floor announcing his decision on Wednesday. “Time rolls on. There will be a new custodian of this great institution. Next year, I intend to turn this job over to a Republican Majority Leader. I have full confidence in my conference to choose my replacement and lead our country forward.”

Last January, Biden and McConnell attended an event in the latter’s home state of Kentucky together to celebrate the passage of a bipartisan infrastructure bill, where he called McConnell “a man of his word” and characterized him as “willing to find common ground to get things done.”

“Mitch, I don’t want to hurt your reputation, but we really are friends,” joked Biden at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2022.

Tags: