Mitch McConnell Tempts Trump’s Wrath With Remark About “America First”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is loath to directly criticize Donald Trump. But he is opposing Trump’s America First foreign policy, calling this week’s NATO summit a “top priority, no question about it.”“This is the most important thing going on in the world right now,” McConnell said in an interview with Punchbowl News. The Kentucky senator has been a steadfast supporter of Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, consistently pushing for funding to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion. In contrast, Trump has a long history of supporting President Vladimir Putin and Russia, and has even questioned the need to fund Ukraine. Trump has endorsed primary candidates who parrot his pro-Russia, anti-Ukraine position, in opposition to candidates who have taken the establishment GOP position advocated by McConnell. In Utah’s Republican Senate primary last month to replace the retiring Mitt Romney, Trump’s pick was defeated by a pro-Ukraine Republican. “I’m hoping that people on our side have figured out this is not some kind of political suicide mission to support [Ukraine].… The political situation among Republicans has improved,” McConnell said.McConnell went further in criticizing Trump’s foreign policy, comparing it to the nativist language from before World War II.“The language they used in the ’20s and ’30s are similar to what you hear today—‘America First,’” he said. He also criticized Trump’s friendship with Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán, whom the convicted felon is meeting on Friday. Orbán visited Moscow in recent days and used pro-Russian language to describe the war in Ukraine. “By highlighting that, I’m hoping [conservatives] might decide they better keep better company,” McConnell said. “And that’s not just the former president, but other so-called conservative groups that have invited him over or gone over there.“My guess is they’re having some second thoughts about that, because many of them argue we ought to be spending our time worrying about China,” McConnell added. “Well, [Orbán] is completely in bed with the Chinese and the Russians. So I hope highlighting that issue changes behavior.” McConnell and Trump have a tortured relationship. As president, Trump appointed McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, as secretary of transportation, but then made racist attacks on her and accused McConnell of being compromised by China. Trump has also called McConnell a “dumb son of a b----.” McConnell nonetheless endorsed Trump’s 2024 candidacy, but only after Trump locked up the GOP nomination.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is loath to directly criticize Donald Trump. But he is opposing Trump’s America First foreign policy, calling this week’s NATO summit a “top priority, no question about it.”
“This is the most important thing going on in the world right now,” McConnell said in an interview with Punchbowl News.
The Kentucky senator has been a steadfast supporter of Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, consistently pushing for funding to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion. In contrast, Trump has a long history of supporting President Vladimir Putin and Russia, and has even questioned the need to fund Ukraine.
Trump has endorsed primary candidates who parrot his pro-Russia, anti-Ukraine position, in opposition to candidates who have taken the establishment GOP position advocated by McConnell. In Utah’s Republican Senate primary last month to replace the retiring Mitt Romney, Trump’s pick was defeated by a pro-Ukraine Republican.
“I’m hoping that people on our side have figured out this is not some kind of political suicide mission to support [Ukraine].… The political situation among Republicans has improved,” McConnell said.
McConnell went further in criticizing Trump’s foreign policy, comparing it to the nativist language from before World War II.
“The language they used in the ’20s and ’30s are similar to what you hear today—‘America First,’” he said. He also criticized Trump’s friendship with Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán, whom the convicted felon is meeting on Friday. Orbán visited Moscow in recent days and used pro-Russian language to describe the war in Ukraine.
“By highlighting that, I’m hoping [conservatives] might decide they better keep better company,” McConnell said. “And that’s not just the former president, but other so-called conservative groups that have invited him over or gone over there.
“My guess is they’re having some second thoughts about that, because many of them argue we ought to be spending our time worrying about China,” McConnell added. “Well, [Orbán] is completely in bed with the Chinese and the Russians. So I hope highlighting that issue changes behavior.”
McConnell and Trump have a tortured relationship. As president, Trump appointed McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, as secretary of transportation, but then made racist attacks on her and accused McConnell of being compromised by China. Trump has also called McConnell a “dumb son of a b----.” McConnell nonetheless endorsed Trump’s 2024 candidacy, but only after Trump locked up the GOP nomination.
