Former President Donald Trump released a statement slamming Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for his leadership in the Senate during Joe Biden’s presidency while vowing to back America First candidates.
Trump unexpectedly released a statement on Tuesday evening, as reported by NPR, taking aim at McConnell for what he called his “usual, status quo” leadership for Senate Republicans while adding that Senate Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would “play [him] like a fiddle.”
The statement further deepened the divide between Trump and establishment Republicans.
In the statement, Trump boasted about receiving almost 75 million votes in the 2020 presidential election while also pointing out that, despite projection to lose house seats, Republicans gained 15 seats and won 59 of 98 legislative chambers in the country.
“I single-handedly saved at least 12 senate seats, more than eights in the 2020 cycle alone — and then came the Georgia disaster,” Trump wrote.
Trump went on to discuss his deteriorating relationship with McConnell following his loss in the 2020 presidential election, as well as pinning some of the blame on him for unsolved election controversies in Georgia. The former president further blamed McConnell for the Republicans losing both Senate seats, costing them control of the Senate, as well as Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
“It was a complete election disaster in Georgia, and certain other swing states,” Trump wrote.
Trump continued lambasting McConnell, saying he “will never do what needs to be done” to fix issues with the election system and does not have “what it takes, never did, and never will.”
The former president then went on to describe how the minority leader “begged” for his support before his 2020 senate race against challenger Amy McGrath, stating that the senator saw a massive swing in polls that led him to win by over 20 points.
“Without my endorsement, McConnell would have lost, and lost badly,” Trump stated, noting that his approval ratings were falling substantially during the Biden administration.
Trump also criticized McConnell on China, stating that he had no credibility because of Chinese business holdings between him and his family. The former president finished by calling McConnell a “dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack,” and warned that Republican senators would lose if they stuck with him.
“This is a big moment for our country, and we cannot let is pass by using third rate ‘leaders’ to dictate our future,” Trump concluded, seemingly endorsing “America First” candidate for the 2022 midterms.
Trump’s statement comes on the heels of comments made by McConnell regarding Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling her a “cancer” to the Republican party. The comments also came after McConnell voted to acquit the former president of insurrection, but criticized him for his handling of the January 6 riots, as reported by CNN.
McConnell has not made a statement regarding the former president’s attacks at the time of writing.
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