NPR

Trump vs. McConnell: Latest round between GOP heavyweights has the highest stakes yet

For years, Mitch McConnell converted Donald Trump's heat to power the conservative agenda. Now he needs to again harness that insurgent energy, a challenge when Trump's heat is directed at him.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., after delivering his address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 28, 2017.

The Russian threat to Ukraine has Washington on edge. No one wants the heightened tensions in Eastern Europe to escalate into war. But there's at least one prominent Republican in the Capitol not complaining that the media spotlight has shifted overseas.

Last week, Mitch McConnell, the six-term Republican senator from Kentucky who has been his party's leader in the Senate for the past 15 years, found himself locked in a high-profile confrontation with the former president who insists he is still the party's leader.

It was not the first round of this long-running bout, but it was perhaps the most clarifying and the most consequential for the elections this fall and in 2024.

McConnell had felt compelled to respond when the Republican National Committee censured two Republican members of the House for serving on the special committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The RNC had characterized the events on Jan. 6 as "ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse."

McConnell would have none of that. Unlike the members of

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Taiwan's New President Urges China To Stop Its Military Intimidation
Taiwan's new President Lai Ching-te in his inauguration speech has urged China to stop its military intimidation against the self-governed island Beijing claims as its own territory.
NPR3 min read
Hold On To Your Wishes — There's A 'Spider In The Well'
There's trouble in the town of Bad Göodsburg! A wishing well has stopped working! NPR's Tamara Keith talks with Jess Hannigan about her new children's book, "Spider in the Well."
NPR2 min read
The Jawbone Of Washed-up Whale In New Zealand Was Removed With Chainsaw And Stolen
The jawbone of a nearly 50-foot sperm whale that washed ashore in New Zealand's southernmost region has been removed. While the act is illegal, it's also considered disrespectful to the Māori people.

Related Books & Audiobooks