The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

McConnell endorses Trump after years of acrimony between them

The Senate minority leader is the highest-ranking Republican to back Trump, and the move could help the former president with major donors

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Updated March 6, 2024 at 10:34 a.m. EST|Published March 6, 2024 at 10:18 a.m. EST
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) walks back to his office on Feb. 28 after announcing that he will step down from his position at the end of the year. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) endorsed Donald Trump for president Wednesday after years of acrimony between them, cementing Trump’s continued hold on the Republican Party.

“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” McConnell said in a statement to The Washington Post. “It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support. During his presidency, we worked together to accomplish great things for the American people including tax reform that supercharged our economy and a generational change of our federal judiciary — most importantly, the Supreme Court. I look forward to the opportunity of switching from playing defense against the terrible policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared towards making a real difference in improving the lives of the American people.”