Mitch McConnell’s announcement he’ll step down as Senate Republican leader at the end of the year leaves a lot of questions unanswered about what Congress will accomplish before then. But it clearly resolves a different matter: McConnell — and Republican senators who share his view of America’s role in the world — don’t fit in Donald Trump’s party.
McConnell, a Kentucky Republican who has led the Senate Republican conference for 17 years, acknowledged that fact in his surprise announcement on Wednesday afternoon.
“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time,” he said of GOP opposition to more aid for Ukraine’s defense against Russia, one of McConnell’s most urgent priorities. But, he said, “I believe more strongly than ever that America’s global leadership is essential to preserving the shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan discussed.”