Staff Reports
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is facing a real pickle as he grapples with the hold that former President Donald Trump still has on the GOP. It’s like trying to get bubblegum out of your hair – messy and just plain frustrating. McConnell, a top Senate Republican, famously stopped taking Trump’s calls after the former president refused to accept the 2020 election results. And can you blame him? Who wants to deal with a sore loser? Their relationship has been as strained as a pair of jeans after Thanksgiving dinner, even though McConnell didn’t support the Democrats’ second impeachment effort against Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
When it came time to vote on Trump’s impeachment trial, McConnell didn’t exactly throw his weight behind it. He voted “not guilty” and didn’t exactly rally his colleagues to convict Trump. He even pulled out the classic “he’s practically and morally responsible” for what happened on Jan. 6 line. But hey, even the best of us make bad decisions sometimes, right? And boy, did McConnell make a doozy of a miscalculation. Some folks are saying McConnell thought the whole Trump drama would just blow over like a bad case of gas, but boy, were they wrong. Turns out, Trump’s like a bad penny – he just keeps turning up.
Mitch’s ‘miscalculation’: Why McConnell’s impeachment opposition fueled Trump’s comeback https://t.co/UNAf0h1lPI @LeaderMcConnell
— WWII Marine's Daughter Born on Veterans Day 11/11 (@MareeOSullivan2) February 2, 2024
Now, some of McConnell’s fellow Republicans are giving him the ol’ side-eye, wondering if he threw in with the wrong crowd. Some are even kicking themselves for not kicking Trump when they had the chance. But you know what they say; hindsight is 20/20. And let’s not forget, McConnell made a legal argument that Trump couldn’t be convicted because he left office. He’s probably been searching for an excuse as hard as a kid looking for an excuse not to do their homework.
But don’t go thinking McConnell is just sitting back, twiddling his thumbs. He’s been working hard to wrangle his GOP comrades, all while Trump’s whispering in their ears like a mischievous little elf. McConnell’s been championing a border security deal, trying to keep things on track like a train conductor in the Wild West. But Trump’s been butting in, flexing his influence like a little kid showing off their new toy, and it’s throwing a wrench in McConnell’s plans.
It seems like McConnell is stuck between a rock and a hard place, trying to balance Trump’s shadow while still pushing his own agenda. It’s like trying to juggle a handful of marbles while riding a unicycle – not an easy feat, let me tell you. And with the 2024 presidential race on the horizon, McConnell’s got a lot on his plate. Will he wrangle the GOP back from Trump’s grip, or will he be left eating crow? Only time will tell.
