Mitch McConnell Reluctantly Endorses Donald Trump

After years of animosity, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) endorsed former President Donald Trump on Wednesday for re-election—but only after his final opponent dropped out and only reluctantly.

“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States. It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support,” McConnell said in a statement.

“During his Presidency, we worked together to accomplish great things for the American people including tax reform that supercharged our economy and a generational change of our federal judiciary—most importantly, the Supreme Court. I look forward to the opportunity of switching from playing defense against the terrible policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared towards making a real difference in improving the lives of the American people.”

While McConnell has always said he would back the eventual nominee, the endorsement is still an important one for Trump, who now has secured the support of every major Republican leader in Congress.

McConnell—who announced last week that he would be stepping down from his leadership position—has had a strained relationship with Trump ever since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. In fact, the two haven’t reportedly spoken since Jan. 6.

“There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the event of that day,” McConnell said on the Senate floor that night after the riot.

Trump has also repeatedly attacked McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao—who also served as Trump’s Secretary of Transportation—with racist rhetoric.

“Does Coco Chow have anything to do with Joe Biden’s Classified Documents being sent and stored in Chinatown?” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Jan. 23, 2023. “Her husband, the Old Broken Crow, is VERY close to Biden, the Democrats, and, of course, China.”

The two have not spoken for years, and even leading up to the endorsement, the two worked through advisers as opposed to speaking one on one, according to a source familiar with the matter.

“This was discussed between advisers Chris LaCivita and Josh Holmes,” the source said.

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