Mitch McConnell Endorses Trump Despite Years of Abuse

AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued a statement endorsing former President Donald Trump’s re-election, shortly after Nikki Haley suspended her campaign Wednesday morning.

The endorsement was not viewed as surprising, given McConnell’s steadfast loyalty to the Republican Party, but was notable given the years-long fractious relationship between the two.

CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju reported on McConnell’s endorsement, noting that had been more than three years since the two had spoken, with Trump frequently attacking McConnell after the Kentucky senator acknowledged that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and publicly criticized the ex-president in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, calling him “morally and practically responsible” for the events that day.

Raju read a few quotes from McConnell’s statement: “It’s become abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States” and “it should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support.”

According to Raju, McConnell also mentioned working together with Trump on passing a tax overhaul and nominating three Supreme Court Justices.

Raju then listed some of the more aggressive insults that the ex-president has lobbed at McConnell, including “racist attacks against his wife,” Elaine Chao, a Taiwanese immigrant who served in Trump’s cabinet as Secretary of Transportation. Trump has frequently used his campaign rally speeches and Truth Social account to attack McConnell for not being sufficiently devoted to the MAGA cause, including various conspiracy theories and other invective.

“They have a very tense relationship, really no relationship whatsoever,” said Raju, “but McConnell has indicated for some time that whoever the nominee is of his party, he will fall in line and back the Republican nominee.”

Of course, as Raju pointed out, McConnell will not have to worry about working directly with Trump again, should he prevail in the November election, as McConnell recently announced he was stepping down as GOP Senate leader.

Watch the clip above via CNN.