Mitch McConnell Says He Would Back Trump in 2024 if He Wins GOP Nomination

Unsmiling Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he would "absolutely" back former President Donald Trump in 2024 should he win the Republican party nomination.

An unsmiling Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he would “absolutely” back former President Donald Trump in 2024 should he win the Republican Party nomination.

McConnell made the surprising comments in an interview with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier, who asked flat-out if he’d be willing to support Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee.

“The nominee of the party?” the Kentucky Republican replied. “Absolutely.”

McConnell and Trump have been engaged in a very open and fiery clash ever since the events of January 6th, in which a small group of protesters involved in a rally for the former President stormed the Capitol.

Following that incident, the GOP leader joined Democrats in blaming Trump for the attack, saying he was “morally responsible.”

“It was obvious that only President Trump could end this,” he said. “Instead, according to public reports, he watched television happily as the chaos unfolded.”

Trump ravaged McConnell, issuing a statement saying he is “a dour, sullen and unsmiling political hack.”

“The Republican Party can never again be respected or strong with political ‘leaders’ like Sen. Mitch McConnell at its helm,” he added.

Making a quasi-endorsement from McConnell seem a little odd.

RELATED: Nearly 50% Of Trump Voters Say They Will Follow Him To Another Party And Abandon The GOP

Is McConnell Seeing The Writing On The Wall?

Perhaps Mitch McConnell is reading the tea leaves when it comes to Donald Trump and his role in the party as we go barreling towards the next presidential cycle in 2024.

A survey released last week indicates a majority – nearly 50 percent – of Trump voters would follow the former President to a new party and abandon the GOP if they were given a choice.

That would, hands down, be devastating to the party and a boon for the Democrats.

A poll prior to that from Axios-Ipsos shows Republican voters are taking sides in the party’s civil war – and it isn’t with the establishment.

The results show a vast majority of Republicans do not hold Trump responsible for the Capitol riots, believe he had a right to challenge the election, and a whopping 92 percent still see him as their preferred nominee in 2024.

The former President is poised to make remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Florida this weekend in which he will claim the mantle of power in the GOP by saying he is “still in charge.”

Trump is expected to argue that he is still the man to drain the Washington swamp as the Republican “presumptive 2024 nominee.”

In an interview with Newsmax’s Greg Kelly, Trump remarked on a potential 2024 run saying, “Well, we have tremendous support. I won’t say yet, but we have tremendous support.”

Even Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) has admitted he’s “pretty sure [Trump] would win the nomination.”

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Or Is Mitch Just Being A Politician?

It’s far more likely that Mitch McConnell is simply playing the role of politician, opening up his arms to any potential candidate – even Trump – for 2024, in an effort to quell the intraparty fighting.

In his interview with Baier, the Republican leader said he was open to any and all candidates should they win the party nomination.

“There’s a lot to happen between now and ’24. I’ve got at least four members that I think are planning on running for president,” he said.

“There’s no incumbent,” McConnell added. “Should be a wide-open race and fun for you all to cover.”

Rusty Weiss has been covering politics for over 15 years. His writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, Fox... More about Rusty Weiss

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