Trump launches fresh attack on ‘pawn’ Mitch McConnell and calls for new GOP Senate leader
‘A new Republican Leader in the Senate should be picked immediately,’ Trump claims
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has fired off a fresh salvo in his war of words with Mitch McConnell, calling the Republican Senate leader a “pawn” who must be replaced “immediately”.
“Mitch McConnell is not an Opposition Leader, he is a pawn for the Democrats to get whatever they want,” the former president said in a post to Truth Social.
“He is afraid of them, and will not to what has to be done. A new Republican Leader in the Senate should be picked immediately.”
Mr Trump’s latest attack on the Senate majority leader began at the weekend when he called Mr McConnell a “broken down hack politician” on Truth Social.
He also used derogatory language to insult Mr McConnell’s wife and former transportation secretary Elaine Chao, who resigned from Trump’s cabinet in protest at the January 6 assault on the US Capital.
The spat was initially stoked by Mr McConnell’s comments last week in an interview with NBC News in which he suggested the GOP’s “candidate quality” could harm the party’s chances of reclaiming the Senate in November’s midterms.
Mr Trump, who has backed several underperforming Senate candidates including Herschel Walker and Mehmet Oz, bristled at the statement.
“Why do Republicans Senators allow a broken down hack politician, Mitch McConnell, to openly disparage hard working Republican candidates for the United States Senate[?]” he wrote on Truth Social.
When asked if he had a response to Mr Trump’s statements during a visit to Kentucky on Wednesday, Mr McConnell replied “no”.
CBS News reported that Mr Trump urged Florida senator Rick Scott to unseat Mr McConnell at a meeting at Mar-a-Lago in February.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments