Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) endorsed Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential marketing campaign on Wednesday after it grew to become clear he would quickly win the quantity of delegates wanted to turn out to be the GOP’s presidential nominee.
“It’s abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite help of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of america. It ought to come as no shock that as nominee, he could have my help,” McConnell mentioned in a press release that was first reported by The Washington Post.
Within the assertion, McConnell cited the passage of the 2017 tax minimize invoice and their affirmation of tons of of conservative judges, together with on the Supreme Court docket, as areas as highlights of their tenure in workplace.
“I stay up for the chance of switching from taking part in protection in opposition to the horrible insurance policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared in the direction of making an actual distinction in bettering the lives of the American folks,” McConnell mentioned.
The Kentucky Republican slammed Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, faulting him for inciting the violent riot and saying that he was responsible of a “disgraceful dereliction of responsibility” for doing nothing to assist Congress. Trump, in flip, hurled racist assaults in opposition to McConnell’s spouse, Elaine Chao, and scuttled the Ukraine help package deal McConnell mentioned was pressing to face as much as Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
However with Nikki Haley dropping out of the 2024 race, Republicans wish to unite forward of the November election. McConnell’s prime precedence ― some would say his guiding mild ― is successful management of the Senate chamber in any respect prices, and disunity with the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee would hurt that effort.
Requested by reporters on Capitol Hill how he reconciled his endorsement of Trump on Wednesday along with his earlier rebuke of the previous president, McConnell instructed nobody needs to be shocked by his determination.
“On Feb. 25, 2021, shortly after the assault on the Capitol, I used to be requested an analogous query, and I mentioned I might help the nominee for president even when it was the previous president,” McConnell mentioned, referring to a Fox Information interview lower than two months after the Jan. 6 assault.
Trump, who typically derided McConnell as “Previous Crow,” responded to the senator with a gracious-sounding notice on his social media platform.
“Thanks, Mitch. I stay up for working with you and a Republican Senate MAJORITY to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he mentioned within the submit on Reality Social.
McConnell introduced just lately he could be stepping down as social gathering chief in November after almost twenty years within the submit, additional cementing Trump’s takeover of the Republican Get together. His substitute is prone to be way more aligned with Trump and his agenda.
