Chris Wallace reveals the 'most troubling' thing about McConnell’s anti-Trump comments

18 October 2024

Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) made his feelings about former President Donald Trump known to journalist Michael Tackett in his upcoming biography. But one comment was particularly notable for CNN host Chris Wallace.

McConnell described Trump as "despicable" and a "narcissist" to Tackett, and reminded him that other Republicans have said even worse things about him. Still, the Kentucky senator insisted that he and Trump are "on the same team" heading into the 2024 election, and that his support of the ex-president was unwavering.

During a Friday interview on the network, Wallace — who was a longtime anchor at Fox News before leaving for its competitor — pointed out the fact that the Senate Republican leader was so critical of Trump is concerning given his constant accommodating of the former president. Wallace told CNN's Brianna Keilar that it was "troubling" that the most senior Republican in the upper chamber of Congress was still willing to back Trump even though he viewed him as morally bankrupt.

"I'm not at all surprised that McConnell feels that way. He was pretty clear and really for about two or three years after January 6, refused one to meet with Trump or even to say his name in public," Wallace said. "What I find most troubling about this is he believes all that. He says all that on the record and some of that in private but he's going to vote for Donald Trump."

Wallace then pivoted to the Kentucky Republican's history with the former president, who has repeatedly attacked his wife, Elaine Chao, with racist remarks. Politico reported last year that Trump once called Chao — who was his former Secretary of Transportation – as "Coco Chao." At the time, Chao told the outlet that the ex-president's racism "says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans."

In his interview on Friday, Wallace suggested that McConnell was singularly focused on political goals, even to the detriment of his own marriage and in contradiction of his own stated principles.

"[McConnell] has endorsed Donald Trump, who was attacked his wife, who is Chinese, in racial terms. And yet he seems to feel that his political influence, his political position is more important than his personal feelings or principle," Wallace continued. "And I find that troubling, that a guy could be insulted as he has been by Trump and be offended as he has by Trump, and yet he is going to vote for Trump to be the next president of the United States."

Previously, McConnell has expressed worry about what Vice President Kamala Harris would do if she were to be elected president. He recently told the Senate Republican Conference that if Harris were to follow through on her plans to kill the Senate filibuster, the GOP's influence in the chamber would effectively be "over."

Harris has said that she would kill the filibuster specifically to pass legislation codifying abortion rights into law. However, McConnell believes that without the filibuster in place, Democrats could pass bills granting statehood to Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, which would give them four additional U.S. senators "in perpetuity."

Watch Wallace's segment below, or by clicking this link.

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