President Donald Trump shakes hands with Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at a Keep America Great Rally at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, November 4, 2019.
Yuri Gripas|Reuters
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell backed Donald Trump for president Wednesday, putting aside years of hostilities in between the 2 top Republicans.
McConnell’s statement cements Trump’s assistance amongst leading GOP members of Congress as he is on track to face President Joe Biden in November in a rematch of the 2020 election.
“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,” McConnell, R-Ky, stated in a declaration.
“It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support,” stated McConnell, who recently revealed he would step down from his management position in the Senate in November.
“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,” he stated.
“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.”
A Trump project spokesperson did not instantly react to CNBC’s ask for remark.
McConnell’s statement was released minutes after previous United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley suspended her project for the Republican governmental election.
Haley, who was Trump’s last staying significant GOP main rival, did not back him in the declaration revealing the suspension.
McConnell, who has actually been a Senate leader for 17 years, and Trump, the de facto head of the GOP, have actually consistently clashed because Trump was chosen president in 2016.
But McConnell’s choice to back Trump was not unanticipated.
Just after Trump’s impeachment trial on charges of prompting the fatalJan 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, McConnell stated on the Senate flooring that there was “no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.”
But McConnell voted versus founding guilty Trump of the charges, as did ample other Republican senators to acquit the ex-president.
Just one month after the trial, McConnell informed Fox News that he would “absolutely” back Trump if he ended up being the 2024 Republican governmental candidate.
More just recently, McConnell and his allies have actually sparred with Trump’s advocates over efforts for the U.S. to send out extra help to Ukraine, which the Senate leader supports.
Trump has actually assaulted McConnell with a variety of labels, consisting of “broken old crow,” and has actually lobbed racist insults at McConnell’s partner, Elaine Chao, who acted as Labor secretary in the Trump administration.
Although Trump and McConnell have not spoken face to deal with in years, assistants to both guys in current months went over a recommendation by the senator, NBC News reported in late February.
Later Wednesday,Sen Joni Ernst of Iowa, who chairs the Senate Republican Policy Committee, backed Trump.
“We must beat Joe Biden and get this country back on track. Donald Trump has my support,” Ernst tweeted.
With Ernst’s statement, the whole Senate GOP management has actually now lined up behind Trump.
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