Mitch McConnell backs Trump after ex-president’s Super Tuesday rout
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell became the last Republican congressional kingpin to endorse Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination Wednesday morning, moments after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley suspended her campaign.
“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. It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support,” McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement.
Trump, 77, and McConnell, 82, are not believed to have spoken to each other for more than three years, since the Kentucky Republican said Trump was “morally responsible” for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The GOP Senate leader responded to questions about the tension between him and Trump Wednesday afternoon, saying, “shortly after the attack on the Capitol, I was asked a similar question, and I said I would support the nominee for president, even if it were the former president.”
Trump responded to the endorsement with positivity, thanking him in a post on Truth Social.
“Thank you, Mitch,” the former president wrote. “I look forward to working with you and a Republican Senate MAJORITY to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
McConnell had previously refused to endorse any Republican presidential candidate, and announced last week he would be stepping down as Senate leader amid tension with the pro-Trump wing of his conference.
Meanwhile, outgoing Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel called for others in the party to back the former president.
“Congratulations to President Trump on becoming the presumptive Republican nominee! We must unite to defeat Joe Biden and it is clear Republican voters are ready to rally around President Trump to do just that,” McDaniel wrote on X, also sending her congratulations to Haley for becoming the first GOP woman to win a primary contest.
Haley ended her presidential bid Wednesday morning, hours after losing 14 of the 15 Republican contests on Super Tuesday and winning only Vermont.
The 52-year-old congratulated Trump but did not immediately endorse him.
“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support [his campaign]. And I hope he does that,” Haley said.
Trump’s former ambassador to the United Nations had argued throughout her race that her level of backing indicated the Republican Party was not unified behind the 45th president and that he could not win a general election against President Biden.
Biden issued his own statement after Haley suspended her campaign, calling for her supporters to vote for him in November and arguing that “there is a place for them” in his campaign.
Trump’s nomination is expected to be formalized at the Republican National Convention, to be held July 15-18 in Milwaukee.
