{"id":2267311,"date":"2024-06-13T20:20:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T00:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-privately-mends-fences-with-trump-as-other-gop-senators-seek-spotlight\/"},"modified":"2024-06-13T20:21:17","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T00:21:17","slug":"mcconnell-privately-mends-fences-with-trump-as-other-gop-senators-seek-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-privately-mends-fences-with-trump-as-other-gop-senators-seek-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"McConnell quietly reconciles with Trump while other GOP senators pursue visibility"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmcconnell-privately-mends-fences-with-trump-as-other-gop-senators-seek-spotlight%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2267311&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former \u200dPresident Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) met to discuss the GOP\u2019s strategy for the 2024\u200d elections and \u200dthe goal of\u200b retaking the Senate\u200d majority. This marked their first meeting since the January \u20646 Capitol\u200b riot. The meeting, held at Senate Republicans\u2019 campaign headquarters, was characterized as cordial,\u200b with Trump being described as gracious. Trump and McConnell demonstrated unity, although \u200cMcConnell\u200d opted out of \u200ca <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-turned-republican-congressman-receives-threatening-messages-from-opinion-columnist\/\" title=\"Democrat-Turned-Republican Congressman Receives Threatening Messages From Opinion Columnist\">public press conference<\/a>.\u2063 High-profile GOP senators used this opportunity to align themselves with Trump, potentially seeking to\u200b boost their own political ambitions within the party. Key issues such as abortion\u200c were also discussed, \u2062signaling their significance\u2063 in the upcoming electoral \u200cstrategies. Notably, \u200dsenators who \u2064had previously opposed Trump or \u200cvoted to convict him \u2063in\u2062 his impeachment trials, like Susan\u200b Collins and Mitt Romney, had limited participation\u200d or engagement in these\u2062 discussions. The \u200bmeeting underscored \u200ca strategic attempt to consolidate GOP unity\u2062 and support ahead of \u2063critical elections.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) set aside their yearslong rivalry on Thursday to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3040447\/house-gop-sights-2025-agenda-tread-victory-lap-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"strategize \">strategize <\/a>about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3042754\/trump-urges-house-gop-offensive-abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"strategize \">GOP\u2019s 2024 playbook<\/a> and retaking the Senate majority.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking with the former president for the first time since before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, McConnell shook hands with Trump as they greeted for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3040658\/trump-faces-gop-boycotts-meeting-senate-republicans\/#:~:text=Some%20centrist%20Republican%20senators%20who,unity%20heading%20into%20the%20election.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"meeting with GOP senators\">meeting with GOP senators<\/a> at Senate Republicans\u2019 campaign headquarters on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n<p>The two sat next to one another, at one point even fist-bumping, at what was described as a cordial meeting with a \u201cgracious\u201d Trump, according to other Republican senators in attendance.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell declined to stick around for an on-camera press conference with Trump and other Republicans, but he described the private portion of the event as \u201centirely positive\u201d and said the two of them \u201cgot a chance to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-stresses-importance-of-democratic-unity-to-pass-covid-bill\/\" title=\"Schumer Stresses Importance Of Democratic Unity To Pass Covid Bill\">great unity<\/a>,\u201d Trump said, flanked by GOP senators. \u201cWe have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/melania-is-pushing-hard-for-tucker-carlson-to-get-a-major-role-in-trump-administration-report\/\" title=\"Melania strongly supports Tucker Carlson for key role in Trump administration: Report\">great common sense<\/a>, a lot of very smart people in this room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump was in town to meet with the Business Roundtable lobbying group and met earlier in the day with House Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting with Senate Republicans also offered a power play moment for those with higher ambitions within the party.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>President Donald Trump speaks as he stands next to then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) after their meeting at the White House, Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Republican senators vying to be Trump\u2019s running mate or seeking to be McConnell\u2019s successor as the next GOP leader cozied up to the presidential candidate, ensuring they were in frame with him during Trump\u2019s remarks. That included Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), who are running to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-vowed-to-elect-more-women-they-did-just-that\/\" title=\"Republicans Vowed To Elect More Women...They Did Just That\">party leader<\/a>, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), one of several on Trump\u2019s short list for vice president.<\/p>\n<p>During the meeting, Trump name-checked Scott, a former presidential candidate, and the other GOP senators in the VP running, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and J.D. Vance (R-OH).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did make a big deal of how much better Tim [Scott] was at being a surrogate than being a candidate in terms of his humility, which was very sweet,\u201d Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) recalled. \u201cIt\u2019s very respectful and rightfully so because it\u2019s really quite a remarkable characteristic with Tim Scott.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), longtime opponents of Trump, did not attend. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) was initially noncommittal but ultimately attended.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve already made clear that I am not satisfied with either choice that we have as Republicans or Democrats,\u201d Murkowski told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), the only Republican to twice vote to convict Trump of impeachment, made a last-minute appearance because a previously scheduled flight was canceled. Romney said he did not engage with Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Collins, Murkowski, Cassidy, and Romney are the remaining senators in Congress who voted to convict Trump during the Senate\u2019s impeachment trial.<\/p>\n<p>Allies of the former president described him as subdued and respectful of his outspoken foes during the meeting, a tone Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> was \u201cfrankly surprising.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Trump] was very encouraging, affirming,\u201d Hawley said. \u201cI didn\u2019t detect any kind of underhanded little barbs or \u2018Some of you were wrong about me.\u2019 There was none of that, like, zero. It was extremely gracious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump acknowledged that \u201csome of us in the room had our disagreements,\u201d according to Hawley, but had an overall message of \u201cLet\u2019s all unite. I appreciate you being here for me, and I\u2019m going to be there for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Abortion access has been a galvanizing issue for Democrats at the ballot box in the wake of <em>Roe v. Wade <\/em>being overturned by the Supreme Court under Trump as the GOP struggles to find a unified stance. Trump reaffirmed his belief that it should be left to the states, according to Cramer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said, \u2018That\u2019s my position. I believe in that ruling and going back to states.\u2019 He talked about that you have to follow your own heart on the issue, as far as what kind of policy you might want to promote,\u201d Cramer recounted.<\/p>\n<p>Trump made no reference to specific candidates, according to senators in the room, but more broadly pledged his support to help retake the Senate. Trump also committed to helping down-ballot candidates on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/speaker-johnson-unveils-election-bill-to-ban-noncitizens-from-voting\/\" title=\"Speaker Johnson introduces bill to prohibit noncitizens from voting\">campaign trail heading<\/a> into November, as Senate Republicans are well-positioned to retake the chamber by flipping several battleground seats.<\/p>\n<p>In a stunning move shortly after the meeting, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3044678\/hogan-withholds-support-from-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Trump endorsed Maryland Republican Senate nominee Larry Hogan\">Trump endorsed Maryland Republican Senate nominee Larry Hogan<\/a>, despite the former two-term governor\u2019s vehement dislike for Trump and the Trump campaign just two weeks ago <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3023533\/trump-guilty-trump-team-declares-larry-hogan-politically-dead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"declaring Hogan politically dead\">declaring Hogan politically dead<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Hogan campaign told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that the support wasn\u2019t reciprocated, and a source familiar with the matter said Trump\u2019s campaign did not provide advance notice of the endorsement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGov. Hogan has been clear he is not supporting President Trump, just as he didn\u2019t in 2016 and 2020,\u201d a Hogan campaign spokesperson said. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) reconciled to discuss the GOP&#8217;s 2024 strategy and Senate majority ambitions. Their first meeting since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot began with a handshake, marking a significant moment of unity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2267312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Trump-mcconnell.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2267311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Trump-mcconnell.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2267311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2267312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2267311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2267311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2267311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}