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Trump talks about change after McConnell freeze up, says there are ‘fantastic’ people who can lead Senate

July 31, 2023 | | Print Article

Health concerns weren’t even half of former President Donald Trump’s take on the Senate’s GOP leadership vacuum as he talked up a change: “And I think that’s a shame.”

(Video: Breitbart News)

The 81-year-old Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) may be safe from voters until 2026, but his position in the upper chamber is not so certain. On that point, Breitbart News’ Washington Bureau Chief Matt Boyle questioned the former president during an hourlong interview that happened to take place a day after the congressman’s recent neurological lapse.

Joining Trump at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Thursday, Boyle asked if the 2024 candidate had seen the concerning footage of the Kentucky lawmaker’s roughly 20-second blank stare mid-sentence at a press conference.

“I thought it was sad,” the president remarked before suggesting McConnell’s complicity in advancing President Joe Biden’s agenda was worse. “At the same time, I think it’s a shame that he went so far out to give Green New Deal money to Biden and the Democrats. He got 10 people to vote because they needed 10 people, and he got 10 people to vote on numerous occasions for trillions of dollars. And I think that’s a shame.”

“But, that was too bad. That was actually a sad thing to see — he had a bad fall I guess…probably after effect of that,” added Trump on the senator’s health.

As had been covered, while flanked by Senate colleagues, McConnell had been addressing reporters stating, “There’s been good bipartisan cooperation and a string of…” when he suddenly stopped and unblinkingly looked ahead.

Physician and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso stepped up to check on the Minority Leader before he was ushered back to his office. While McConnell would later play off the incident that dragged out reports of a previously unreported fall earlier in the month following a concussion months earlier, Trump assented to the idea that it was time for a shakeup in Senate leadership.

After Trump reiterated his point that McConnell had helped Democrats get “trillions and trillions and trillions” for their wasteful projects, Boyle asked about a successor to the current leader.

“We have some people in the Senate that are fantastic and would be great at that position,” Trump opined without naming anyone specific. However, the former president did take the opportunity to name-drop lawmakers from the House as he suggested he had better ties to those members of Congress.

“I have a lot of great relationships with the Senate…with the House, probably the House even more so…” he told Boyle before mentioning Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), James Comer (Ky.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), and Marjorie Tayler Greene (Ga.)

Trump further touted his endorsement record for the 2022 midterm elections, alluding to the important role he anticipated his support would play throughout 2024 in achieving a Republican majority in the Senate and building on the slim lead in the House.

Meanwhile, McConnell maintained that he would remain in his seat for the duration of his term with his office releasing a statement reported by Politico that he “appreciates the continued support of his colleagues, and plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do.”

Kevin Haggerty
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