Channeling the persona of the brash billionaire who took on the Republican establishment in his 2016 presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell might not be a partner in a Trump administration.
In 2016, McConnell predicted, “He’s not going to change the platform of the Republican Party, the views of the Republican Party. I think we’re much more likely to change him,” according to CNBC.
Although McConnell and Trump forged a working relationship for most of Trump’s presidency, the Kentucky Republican lashed out at Trump after the Capitol incursion.
With that as the backdrop, Trump was chilly to the prospect of working with McConnell if he is elected president in November.
Former President Trump says he doesn’t know if he could work with former ally turned political foe Senate Minority Leader McConnell if he were to be re-elected as president. https://t.co/Jx97KqtkDU
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 21, 2024
“He’ll probably end up endorsing me. I don’t know that I can work with him,” Trump said during a town hall that was televised on the Fox News show “The Ingraham Angle” on Tuesday, according to NBC.
Do Republicans need new leadership in the Senate?
“He gave away trillions of dollars that he didn’t have to, trillions of dollars. He made it very easy for the Democrats,” Trump said.
McConnell has not endorsed Trump in this election cycle.
Trump skewered Sen. Mitch McConnell saying he might cut ties w. him upon regaining the WH. “…I don’t know that I can work with him,” Trump said. “He gave away trillions of dollars that he didn’t have to…He made it very easy for the Democrats.”https://t.co/HpnW6KBVMm
— JV3MJD (@JV3MJD) February 21, 2024
On Sunday, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said he is unsure whether McConnell would run for re-election in 2026 if Trump is in the White House, according to The Hill.
Asked if he thought McConnell would seek another term, Cruz replied. “I don’t know. That’s a decision for Mitch to make.”
“Obviously, there’s a lot of bad blood between Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump. Mitch will have to make that decision,” Cruz said in a comment on the Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“What I want to see is, I want to see Republicans in the Senate stand and lead and fight. I believe November is going to be a very good election. I think we’re going to see Donald Trump re-elected as president of the United States,” he said.
Ted Cruz to Newsmax: McConnell Not ‘Leading Effectively’ https://t.co/DVmmJt5YkJ
— Elena (@helen44767171) February 21, 2024
Earlier this month, when asked if he thought it was time for McConnell to step down as the Senate leader of the Republican Party, Cruz said, “I think it is,” according to The Hill.
“I think a Republican leader should actually lead this conference and should advance the priorities of Republicans,” he said.
