Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) smiled as he congratulated both President-elect Trump's predicted victory and Senate Republicans, who are expected to regain the majority in the new Congress.
“It's certainly a happy day for the Republican Party,” he told reporters Wednesday.
McConnell noted the significance of Trump's expected victory, saying, “You know, what he accomplished hasn't been done since Grover Cleveland not too long ago.”
FOX News Decision Desk Project Republicans retake Senate majority in devastating blow to Democrats
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has slammed former President Donald Trump, calling him “despicable.” (Reuters)
It is noteworthy that former President Grover Cleveland is the only president to serve non-consecutive terms.
“I also want to commend the Trump campaign for executing a more astute campaign this time,” he added.
The minority leader specifically praised the work of Trump campaign managers Chris Lacivita and Susie Wiles, saying they “deserve tremendous credit” and “ran a great campaign.”
The Fox News Decision Desk projects Republicans will flip three blue seats and regain the Senate majority. There are several Senate races in battleground states that have yet to be called, and that majority could still grow.
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Former President Donald Trump is pictured attending an election night watch party on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/Alex Brandon)
McConnell announced in February that he would not seek a leadership role in the new Congress, but said he had “really hoped that I would be able to hand over the majority to my successor.”
“I've been a majority leader, but I've also been a minority leader. The majority is much better.”
“Based on the fact that we don't have all the results, and we certainly already know that we're going to be in the majority, we're hopeful that it might actually grow some,” he said. said.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
He also praised National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines (R-Mont.) for his leadership during the cycle.
McConnell's praise of the Trump campaign comes days after Trump mocked him at a rally in North Carolina. “I hope they get rid of Mitch McConnell soon, because he helped them, man,” the former president said, suggesting he supported the Biden-Harris administration.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's longstanding disparaging comments about former President Donald Trump (left) are revealed in an excerpt from a new book. (Reuters)
He also poked fun at the fact that he supported McConnell earlier this year, despite their well-documented problems with each other. “Can you believe he endorsed me?” President Trump asked his audience Sunday. “Boy, that must have been one of the hardest days of his life.”
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At the time, McConnell said he wouldn't be surprised if he fell behind Republican candidates. But before the election, a new book reminded voters how they really feel about President Trump.
Michael Tackett, the Associated Press' deputy Washington bureau chief, is quoted in The Price of Power as saying, mentioned President Trump Sometimes as a “scumbag,'' “a fool,'' an “insane person,'' a “despicable person,'' and a “narcissist.''
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