Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-K.Y., took a victory lap on Tuesday, celebrating the passage of $60 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine ahead of a final vote — and took the opportunity in front of the cameras to blast conservative activist Tucker Carlson and former President Donald Trump.
McConnell said the two delayed the process: Carlson by “demonizing Ukraine” and Trump by not being decisive.
McConnell, known for his unwavering support of Ukraine, has been battling conservative voices within his own party who sought to block the aid package until the U.S.-Mexico border was secured. He blamed Carlson for convincing “a lot of rank and file Republicans” that supporting the war-torn nation was a mistake.
“The demonization of Ukraine began by Tucker Carlson, who in my opinion ended up where he should have been all along, which is interviewing Vladimir Putin,” McConnell said, taking a dig at the former Fox News host for his recent interview of the Russian dictator.
The top Senate Republican also swiped at Trump, suggesting that the former president had “mixed views” on Ukraine aid.
McConnell condemned the failed attempt by some Republicans to add border security provisions to the bill, which would have required further negotiating with Democrats.
“And then our nominee for president didn’t seem to want us to do anything at all,” McConnell added, referring to Trump’s apparent lack of support for the aid package. “That took months to work our way through it.”
Despite the delays, McConnell remained optimistic about the future of the Republican Party, arguing that the margin of support for Ukraine indicates a shift back to the party’s Reagan-esque roots of defending democracy around the world.
The Senate voted 80-19 on Tuesday to advance the legislation, with a final passage into law vote coming Wednesday when President Joe Biden signed the bill.
McConnell, who will give up his longtime hold of Republican senate leadership at the end of the year, said the next crop of Republican Senate candidates recruited for the upcoming election would have similar foreign policy goals to him.
He believes they are more inclined to move away from the party’s “America First” tendencies.
“I think we’ve turned the corner on the isolationist movement,” McConnell said. “I’ve noticed how uncomfortable proponents of that are when you call them isolationist. So I think we’ve made some progress and I think it’s gonna have to continue because we got big, big problems: China, Russia, Iran.”
The Kentucky Republican also defended House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., whose transformation from Ukraine aid skeptic to staunch supporter helped ensure passage in the House. McConnell quoted Trump, who had expressed support for Johnson and suggested that his critics “shut up.”
As for the battle for the Senate majority this fall, McConnell seemed confident in the GOP’s chances.
“I feel pretty good about our nominees. I’m pretty confident we’re going to win West Virginia. That’s 50. You all can do the math. One more makes 51,” he said. “And I hope to hand this job over to the majority leader.”
Take a look at CNN’s gleeful coverage as McConnell bashed Carlson —