What will Mitch McConnell do next? Everyone from Donald Trump to the producers at “60 Minutes” is wondering whether the veteran Republican Senate leader will use his perch to lead some kind of resistance.
McConnell has made his differences with Trump known. He voted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s nomination and has openly questioned the views of other cabinet nominees like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He believes tariffs against allies are bad policy and wants to see a robust defense budget with military aid sent to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, all while the appetite for international intervention is rapidly dissolving within the GOP.
But at a time when the Republican conference largely mirrors Trump’s views, the longest-serving Senate leader’s presence looks more like an academic exercise for his party’s lawmakers than a voice of influence.