Former President Trump reportedly tore into Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell during a gathering Saturday evening, condemning the Kentucky Republican for not doing more to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
According to The Washington Post, Trump referred to McConnell as a “dumb son of a bitch” during a speech to members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) at the former president’s private Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and suggested Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) would have fought for Trump if they were in the same party.
“If that were Schumer instead of this dumb son of a bitch Mitch McConnell, they would never allow it to happen. They would have fought it,” Trump told the assembled RNC members, according to the Post.
“I hired his wife. Did he ever say thank you?” Trump reportedly added, referring to his nomination of Elaine Chao, who served as Transportation secretary in the Trump administration and is married to McConnell.
The Hill has reached out to McConnell’s office for comment.
The two top Republicans were publicly aligned throughout the four years of Trump’s presidency, with McConnell opposing the former president’s two impeachment trials. But their relationship soured in the weeks following the 2020 election as McConnell was reported to be urging senators not to oppose the certification of the results.
McConnell and Trump’s public breakup was evident in February, when the latter targeted the lawmaker in a blistering statement.
“Mitch is a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack, and if Republican Senators are going to stay with him, they will not win again,” Trump said at the time.
“He will never do what needs to be done, or what is right for our Country. Where necessary and appropriate, I will back primary rivals who espouse Making America Great Again and our policy of America First. We want brilliant, strong, thoughtful, and compassionate leadership,” the former president added.
Days earlier, McConnell blamed Trump for the events of Jan. 6 on the Senate floor.
“There’s no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” McConnell told senators. “No question about it.”