Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell privately criticised Donald Trump as “stupid”, “ill-tempered”, and “a despicable human being” after the 2020 election, according to excerpts from a new McConnell biography reported by the Associated Press (AP).
The Price of Power by Michael Tackett, deputy Washington bureau chief of AP, is set to be released later this month and draws on personal oral histories made available to him by McConnell.
Despite the reported remarks, the Kentucky lawmaker, 82, has endorsed Trump for re-election.
There is no love lost between the two, who shared an uneasy relationship when the latter was in office.
McConnell harshly criticised Trump’s denial of the 2020 election results and they did not speak after the US Capitol riot in January 2021. Trump went on to repeatedly savage McConnell online and his Taiwanese-born wife, Elaine Chao, who accused Trump of directing racist taunts at her.
But they appeared to mend ties this year, with McConnell – who is stepping down from his leadership post next month – saying he would support the Republican nominee. They shook hands in June at a meeting in the US Capitol.
