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10 hours ago
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11 hours ago
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13 hours ago
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13 hours ago
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14 hours ago
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15 hours ago
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15 hours ago
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16 hours ago
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16 hours ago
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17 hours ago
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18 hours ago
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Trump Labels McConnell ‘Unsmiling Political Hack’ And Vows To Back Right-Wing Primary Challengers

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Updated Feb 16, 2021, 05:51pm EST
This article is more than 4 years old.

Topline

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as a “dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack” as he pledged to back right-wing primary challengers against incumbent GOP senators, signaling his willingness to wage an all-out war against the establishment wing of the Republican Party.

Key Facts

In a statement put out by Trump’s Super PAC “Save America,” Trump took aim at McConnell, labeling his priorities the “Beltway First agenda.”

But in quintessential Trump style, he also went below the belt, attacking McConnell for his “lack of political insight, wisdom, skill, and personality,” and labeling him a “dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack.”

The statement comes after McConnell stated that Trump bore responsibility for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and said he could still be prosecuted even after the senator and most of his caucus voted to acquit him in his impeachment trial Saturday.

Trump’s animosity toward McConnell stands in sharp contrast to the friendly detente he shares with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, whose efforts to retake the House Trump has pledged to assist.

Trump’s statement makes explicit what he has long been planning: primary challenges to Republicans he sees as insufficiently loyal to him.

Forbes has reached out to McConnell’s office for comment.

Key Background

McConnell said in a Wall Street Journal interview that he is willing to help incumbents thwart primary challenges, stating his focus is on “getting candidates who can actually win in November.” McConnell emphasized that he is less concerned about ideology than “electability,” declaring, “I personally don’t care what kind of Republican they are, what kind of lane they consider themselves in.” 

Surprising Fact

Trump claimed in the statement that McConnell “‘begged’ for my strong support and endorsement before the great people of Kentucky,” even claiming McConnell would have lost in the solidly red state without it.

What To Watch For

Trump didn’t specify which incumbents he would primary – stating only that they would occur “where necessary and appropriate” – but Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who voted to convict Trump and is up for reelection in 2022, is said to be a top target.

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