When will Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his leadership team endorse Donald Trump for president? Friction between McConnell and Trump is no secret. Trump famously referred to McConnell as a “dumb son of a b****” and a “stone-cold loser.” McConnell all but blamed Trump for the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021.
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But the personal animosity between the two men is immaterial to how they will work together in the next Congress if Trump is elected. And with McConnell’s apparent reluctance to back Donald Trump, it raises questions about his standing in the Senate and his ability to lead.
So far, about 60% of elected Republicans on the Hill have endorsed Trump. Most of the rest are waiting for the right strategic moment to endorse. Some, like Utah Senator Mitt Romney, aren’t planning to endorse Trump at all.
But for the rest of McConnell’s leadership team, it’s getting late in the day to stand on the sidelines.
Related: WATCH: Sen. Kennedy Humiliates Another Biden Nominee Who Can’t Answer a Simple Question
“I likely won’t” endorse in the primary, said Iowa Sentator Joni Ernst. She told USA Today whether Haley should drop out is “up to those candidates. I think she is a fabulous candidate and a great leader, but I don’t know what the polls look like going forward.”
“I’ve said all along I’ll support the nominee, so if he’s the nominee I’ll do what I can to help the team win the presidency,” GOP Whip Sen. John Thune said, though he did not say whether or not he would ultimately endorse Trump.
Two additional Republican senators, Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Deb Fischer, R-Neb., announced their endorsement for Trump on Tuesday night after his victory in New Hampshire.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Tuesday also told Fox News: “I don’t see it for Nikki Haley,” who pledged to stay in the race after losing to Trump by more than ten percentage points in the Granite State.
“I think she’s run a great campaign, but I do think there is a message that is coming out from the voters which is very clear: We need to unite around our eventual nominee which is going to be Donald Trump,” McDaniel said.
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The fact is, these senators are only hurting themselves by not endorsing Trump at this point. And you can bet that Trump is adding those senators to his enemies list.
Does Trump really care about Congress? He may care about it if he doesn’t win majorities in the House and the Senate. Governing by imperial decree won’t work for Trump any better than it’s working for Biden.
But the senators who are hanging back in endorsing the former president when the race is already over might regret their recalcitrance when it comes to their own reelection contests.