Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell explained in an interview with Axios why he would support former president Donald Trump.
The top Republican was asked by Axios’s Jonathan Swan why he would support Mr Trump despite his vocal denunciations of the former president. There also appears to be no love lost between the two as Mr Trump has called Mr McConnell an “Old Crow” since leaving office.
“Well as the Republican leader of the Senate, it should not be a front-page headline that I’ll support the Republican nominee for president,” he said. “I think I have an obligation to support the nominee of my party.”
Mr McConnell said that whoever wins the nomination will have earned it.
“I don’t pick the Republican nominee for president,” he said.
Mr McConnell’s words come despite the fact that after the January 6 insurrection, he blamed Mr Trump for the Capitol riot despite not voting to convict the former president after his second impeachment in the House of Representatives.
“There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the event of that day,” Mr McConnell said at the conclusion of the impeachment trial.
Mr McConnell also said in the in-person interview with Axios that he was confident in Republican Senate candidates such as Herschel Walker in Georgia, who is challenging Senator Raphael Warnock.
Former Missouri Gov Eric Greitens, who is running for Senate despite his ex-wife accusing him of abuse in a sworn affidavit, has blamed Mr McConnell for the accusations. But Mr McConnell appeared unfazed and chuckled.
“I don’t comment about that,” he said. Mr Greitens was forced to resign as governor after he was accused of tying a naked woman up, blindfolding her and taking a photo of her as blackmail. Mr Swan asked if he thought Mr Greitens was electable.
“I think the voters will take all of that into account.”
