McConnell: Trump has ‘significant opportunity’ to unite country

by Jordain Carney - 11/09/16 3:23 AM ET

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) quickly congratulated Donald Trump, stressing he should use his stunning White House victory to unite voters after a deeply divisive election.

“I congratulate President-elect Trump on his historic election. After eight years of the Obama administration, the American people have chosen a new direction for our nation,” McConnell said in a statement. “President-elect Trump has a significant opportunity to bring our nation together.”

{mosads}McConnell, who is expected to keep his spot as majority leader, also struck a bipartisan note. He added that it is his “hope and intent” that “we succeed in the years ahead by working together with our colleagues across the aisle to strengthen our national security and economic security.”

In addition to capturing the White House, Republicans held onto control of the upper chamber, despite a difficult map. But they’ll still need Democrat support to pass legislation with the upper chamber’s 60-vote procedural threshold.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) also congratulated Trump early Wednesday morning, and Senate Republicans, including chief critic Lindsey Graham (S.C.), pledged to support Trump once he takes control of the White House next year.

McConnell has largely sidestepped talking about the president election this year as he defended 24 Senate seats. After going radio silent on Trump for most of Congress’s pre-election recess, he broke his silence last week, saying “we need a new president, Donald Trump, to be the most powerful Republican in America.”

Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, also congratulated Trump on Wednesday morning, saying he pulled off a “remarkable victory after one of the most hard-fought elections in recent memory.”

“I look forward to working with President-elect Trump to address the critical issues Texans and the American people have entrusted us to solve,” he added.

Tags Donald Trump John Cornyn Lindsey Graham Mitch McConnell Paul Ryan