Former President Donald Trump has told advisers that he believes going to war with Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell will give him positive TV coverage despite being warned about the political cost, The Washington Post reported.
According to the report, advisers warned Trump that escalating his dispute with McConnell would not do either of them any favors.
The Post, which cited sources close to the former president, said Trump “told people that facing McConnell will be popular with his supporters and will generate favorable TV coverage.”
A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has long valued the TV audience above conventional political goals, often bragging about his audience during his term and blocking parts of his day to watch his administration’s cable TV coverage.
In recent weeks, tensions between Trump and McConnell increased dramatically on Tuesday, when Trump called McConnell a “taciturn, taciturn and serious political hack”.
McConnell was once an ally of Trump, but he turned against the president after the Capitol rebellion, which he blamed Trump for igniting.
McConnell did not vote to condemn Trump for inciting insurrection in the impeachment trial that followed. However, he defended Trump based on the narrow argument that impeachment should apply only to incumbent presidents.
He did not seek to defend Trump’s actions, and in statements and interviews he continued to blame Trump for the violence.
Some Republicans fear the dispute could hurt the Republican Party’s chances of regaining control of Congress in the mid-2022 term.
Trump, in his statement on Tuesday, said he would support candidates loyal to him in the primary election to oust established Republicans, a clear threat to McConnell and other longtime members of Congress.