Former President Donald Trump launched a violent attack on the most powerful Republican in Washington post-Trump on Tuesday, calling Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell a “serious political hack” who should be expelled from office.
“The Republican Party can never again be respected or strong with political ‘leaders’ like Senator Mitch McConnell at his command,” Trump said in a 626-word e-mail statement that declared political war on the Kentucky Republican.
“McConnell’s dedication to business as usual, status quo policies, coupled with his lack of political vision, wisdom, skill and personality, quickly led him from Majority Leader to Minority Leader, and that will only get worse,” said Trump .
“Democrats and Chuck Schumer play McConnell like a violin – they’ve never had such a good life – and they want it to stay that way! We know that our America First agenda is a winner, not McConnell Beltway First’s or Biden’s America Last’s agenda. “
The statement came a day after McConnell appeared to make an effort to fix a Republican Party split over Trump’s recently concluded impeachment trial for allegedly inciting the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill.
McConnell told the Wall Street Journal: “I’m not assuming that, as long as the ex-president wants to stay involved, he won’t be a constructive part of the process.”
On Saturday, McConnell voted for Trump’s acquittal for “inciting insurrection”, but then attacked him in a Senate floor speech, saying Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for the violence that killed five. He called Trump’s claim of actually defeating President Biden in the November 3 election a “crescendo of conspiracy theories orchestrated by an outgoing president who seemed determined to overturn voters’ decision or set our institutions on fire on the way out.”
Trump’s statement on Tuesday blames McConnell for Republican misfortunes and is credited with recent successes.
“In 2020, I received the highest number of votes from any incumbent president in history, almost 75 million. All Republican candidates in the House won for the first time in decades, and we drew 15 seats, almost costing Nancy Pelosi her job, ”he said.
“Republicans won a majority in at least 59 of the 98 party legislative chambers, and Democrats failed to turn a single legislative chamber from red to blue. And in the ‘Mitch Senate’, in the last two election cycles, I saved at least 12 seats in the Senate alone, more than eight in the 2020 cycle alone – and then the Georgia disaster came, where we should have won both seats in the Senate of the United States. USA, but McConnell equated the $ 2,000 Democratic stimulus check offer with $ 600.
“How does it work? It became the Democrats’ main ad and a big winner for them. McConnell then put himself, one of the most unpopular politicians in the United States, in the ads. Many Republicans in Georgia voted for Democrats, or simply did not vote, because of their distress with the inept governor, Brian Kemp, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the Republican Party, for not doing their job in electoral integrity during the 2020 presidential race. ”
Trump continued: “It was a complete electoral disaster in Georgia and some other undecided states. McConnell has done nothing and will never do what needs to be done to ensure a fair and just electoral system in the future. He doesn’t have what it takes, never has and never will. “
The former president, who polls indicate remains a powerful Republican party figure, indicated that the break with McConnell will be permanent after the two worked together during their four-year term on common goals, such as tax cuts and three confirmations. in the Supreme Court.
“My only regret is that McConnell ‘begged’ for my strong support and endorsement towards the great people of Kentucky in the 2020 elections, and I gave it to him. He went down from one point to 20 points above and won. How quickly he forgets. Without my endorsement, McConnell would have lost, and lost a lot. Now, his numbers are lower than ever, he is destroying the Republican side of the Senate and thereby seriously damaging our country, ”said Trump.
“Likewise, McConnell has no credibility in China because of his family’s considerable Chinese business stakes. He does nothing against this tremendous economic and military threat. “
McConnell said last month that the troublemakers who interrupted Biden’s victory certification were “provoked by the president” and his Chinese-American wife, former Transport Secretary Elaine Chao, was the first Trump cabinet member to step down because of violence. Chao’s father, who fled to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War, and his brother-in-law are prominent international entrepreneurs.
Trump continued: “Mitch is a serious, taciturn and serious political hack, and if Republican senators stay with him, they won’t win again. He will never do what needs to be done or what is right for our country. Whenever necessary and appropriate, I will support the main rivals who advocate Making America Great Again and our America First policy. We want brilliant, strong, caring and compassionate leadership.
“Before the pandemic, we produced the largest economy and the largest number of jobs in the history of our country and, likewise, our economic recovery after Covid was the best in the world. We cut taxes and regulations, rebuild our armed forces, take care of our veterinarians, become energy independent, build the wall and prevent the massive influx of illegal into our country and much more. And now, illegals are coming, pipelines are being stopped, taxes are going to increase and we will no longer be independent of energy. “
Trump concluded: “This is a great time for our country and we cannot let it go by using third-rate” leaders “to dictate our future!”
Trump was acquitted by the Senate with just seven Republicans who joined the Democrats to vote for the sentencing. The 57-43 vote fell far short of the constitution’s two-thirds requirement for sentencing. Having been acquitted, Trump remains eligible to run for president again in 2024.
McConnell will not face re-election until 2026, but the 2022 Republican primaries will likely be a proxy war between pro-Trump and pro-McConnell factions. Trump had already defended a primary contest in 2022 against Sen. John Daune’s second Republican from South Dakota, who, like McConnell, voted for absolution.
McConnell’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.