As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s record eight terms as a party leader continues, the former President Donald Trump is trying to replace him as the feud between the two deepens.
On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the former president had a conversation recently with Republican senators and allies about replacing McConnell and whether any Republican senators are interested in the position.
Trump said in a recent interview that he wanted Senate Republicans to oust McConnell from the leadership position in the Republican Party, though he refused to be involved in the matter.
“They ought to,” Trump said. “I think he’s very bad for the Republican Party.”
The feud between Trump and McConnell has deepened since the former president lost his re-election bid. As Trump was arguing without evidence that the election was “rigged,” McConnell made it clear that President Joe Biden won the election fairly. He said that Trump’s misleading statements eventually resulted in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Trump has frequently criticized the senator since Jan. 6. In August, Trump denounced McConnell as the Senate passed a vote to advance the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.
“If Mitch McConnell was smart, which we’ve seen no evidence of, he would use the debt ceiling card to negotiate a good infrastructure package,” Trump said at that time.
On Wednesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) has told his fellow Republicans that Trump acknowledged in private recently that McConnell “helped” him during tenure at the White House, hinting a possible change in the sentiment of the former president toward the minority leader.
