Mitch McConnell endorses Donald Trump for president after years of frosty ties

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday he will support Donald Trump for the presidency, a move that comes more than three years after they have last spoken and after the Kentucky Republican pointedly blamed Trump for the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” McConnell said in a statement. “It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support.”

McConnell’s announcement came just minutes after Trump’s final substantive primary challenger – former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – said she would leave the race the morning after Super Tuesday, in which Trump dominated the races across the country.

McConnell’s support came after lengthy discussions for months between Chris LaCivita from the Trump campaign and longtime McConnell confidant Josh Holmes about opening communications between the two camps and - maybe most importantly - getting on the same page about the US Senate races this year, according to a source familiar.

McConnell, who hasn’t spoken to Trump since December 2020, didn’t speak to him before he issued his endorsement, according to another source familiar with the matter. The source said that LaCivita and Holmes spoke instead.

The public support from McConnell, who announced last week he would step down as GOP leader at the end of the year, also came after his other top Republican senators have endorsed Trump. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican in the chamber who is running to replace McConnell, endorsed Trump earlier this month. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, another possible McConnell successor, backed Trump