Trump calls McConnell an ‘absolute Loser’

Former President Trump slammed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday, calling him an “absolute Loser” and accusing him of giving Democrats “everything they want.” 

Trump’s comments are the latest in a series of disparaging condemnations that he has made toward the Senate Republican leader. 

Trump said in a statement from his Save America PAC that McConnell did not stop “trillions of dollars in spending by refusing to use the debt ceiling as a negotiating tool.” He said McConnell “gave it up for nothing.” 

Congress must approve a government funding measure by the end of the month to avoid a government shutdown. Lawmakers appear poised to pass a short-term funding bill, but several Republican senators have said McConnell has been guarded on negotiations. 

Trump also appeared to accuse McConnell of backing Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) proposal to speed up the process for approving energy and infrastructure projects. The permitting reform he has pushed for is set to be included in the continuing resolution to keep the government funded. 

McConnell is one of 38 Senate Republicans who have co-sponsored legislation to overhaul the permitting process separately from the continuing resolution. 

Trump also praised GOP Sens. Rick Scott (Fla.), Ted Cruz (Texas) and Mike Lee (Utah) for working to stop Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and his “favorite” senator, McConnell, from “ramming through a disastrous Continuing Resolution” that the former president said would not stop inflation or grow the economy. 

“Instead, we need a LONG-TERM Continuing Resolution, so we can deal with the real Emergency at hand, the Radical Left’s destruction of America, and once again, put AMERICA First. McConnell is so bad!” Trump said. 

Scott, Cruz and Lee have argued that Republicans should advocate for a longer-term deal that would fund the government into next year and would not raise federal spending levels until after a new session of Congress begins in January. 

Trump has repeatedly criticized McConnell over an extended period of time. He accused McConnell of being “disloyal” to him in July after the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection played a clip of the GOP Senate leader blaming Trump for the attack. 

Trump also called McConnell’s wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, “crazy” and accused McConnell of spending his time helping Chao and his family “get rich on China.” Chao’s shipping business, the Foremost Group, is an American company that does business in China and other countries. 

Chao resigned from her position the day after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.