Former President Donald Trump said he will force Senate Republicans to replace Mitch McConnell as their leader if he wins the presidency in 2024, and he endorsed Florida Sen. Rick Scott as a “likely candidate” for the job, The Hill reported.
In an interview Monday night with Fox News Digital aboard his private plane after a rally in Dayton, Ohio, for Senate candidate J.D. Vance, Trump called Kentucky’s McConnell a “lousy leader.” He praised Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and former two-term governor of Florida, as “highly underrated.”
“I think we’ll probably have to live with him for two years,” Trump said of McConnell. “And if I run, and I win, I will say, Don’t send me any legislation if he’s the leader, and he’ll be out in two minutes.”
Scott is predicting that Senate Republicans will pick up between two and five seats in Tuesday's midterm elections, which will boost his political stock in Washington and particularly among Republican colleagues.
Trump acknowledged he does not have enough support within the Senate GOP conference to oust McConnell from his leadership position after the midterms.
Scott stirred speculation over the weekend when he declined to endorse McConnell for another term as the Senate Republican leader, telling NBC host Chuck Todd he is not focused on anything beyond Election Day.
Trump provided more fuel to speculation by describing Scott as “a likely candidate” for majority or minority leader.
“I think Rick Scott is a likely candidate — he hates the guy,” Trump said, characterizing Scott’s feelings about McConnell. “He’s tough — he’s tough, and I think he would probably go for it.”
McConnell stopped speaking to Trump after the 2020 presidential election, which Trump claims he lost because of widespread fraud.
McConnell denounced Trump’s claims of election fraud as “wild falsehoods” and declared the former president was “practically and morally responsible” for provoking the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
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