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By Natalie Venegas
Weekend Reporter
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What's New
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell warn on Monday warned President-elect Donald Trump about adopting the "isolationist" voices within the GOP to build his foreign policy, urging him to reject it and instead take up a foreign policy rooted in military strength and global engagement.
Why It Matters
McConnell, who is set to step down from Senate leadership, outlined his concerns in an essay published Monday in Foreign Affairs. The Kentucky senator warned that any U.S. retreat from its international commitments would embolden adversaries and destabilize global security.
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"The time to restore American hard power is now," McConnell wrote, arguing that military readiness should override "both left-wing faith in hollow internationalism and right-wing flirtation with isolation and decline."
This critique reflects McConnell's long-standing opposition to the isolationist wing of the Republican Party. Most recently, he spearheaded a successful push to secure additional U.S. aid for Ukraine despite internal party resistance. However, his remarks represent his most direct appeal to Trump and his advisors, including Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, a vocal opponent of such aid.
What To Know
While McConnell acknowledged that Trump "deserves credit" for reversing some Obama-era limitations on delivery assistance to Ukraine in his first term, he criticized the former president's perceived inconsistency on global issues, adding that Trump "sometimes undermined these tough policies through his words and deeds," including his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"He courted Putin, he treated allies and alliance commitments erratically and sometimes with hostility, and in 2019 he withheld $400 million in security assistance to Ukraine," McConnell wrote. "These public episodes raised doubts about whether the United States was committed to standing up to Russian aggression, even when it actually did so."
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What People Are Saying
Trump, who has campaigned on promises to end "forever wars," has indicated that he would prioritize a rapid resolution to the war in Ukraine. He has also floated the possibility of reducing U.S. military aid to Kyiv and even withdrawing from NATO.
In response, McConnell called on Trump to commit to "a significant and sustained increase in defense spending" and to invest in the defense industry and access to new military capabilities to counter threats from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.
McConnell's critique underscores the complexity of his relationship with Trump. The two leaders have alternated between strategic alignment and open discord, with McConnell distancing himself following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. Despite these tensions, McConnell endorsed Trump earlier this year, acknowledging the inevitability of his nomination as the GOP presidential candidate.
While Trump has not spoken on McConnell's recent remarks, he has previously criticized McConnell. During a campaign rally in Kinston, North Carolina, in November— just days before Election Day—Trump mocked McConnell's endorsement, stating that it "must've been a painful day in his life."
"Hopefully we get rid of Mitch McConnell pretty soon...Can you believe he endorsed me? Boy, that must've been a painful day in his life. Every time I think of it, he didn't have to do that. He provided the necessary votes. What a disgrace," Trump said.
What Happens Next
As McConnell transitions from leadership to a rank-and-file role, questions loom over how he will navigate the Trump-dominated GOP as he has made clear that he wants to cement his legacy by pushing the party to embrace the U.S. role as a global leader.
McConnell cautioned against prioritizing one geopolitical region over others, such as elevating Asia at Europe's expense.
In Foreign Affairs, he wrote that Trump will "no doubt hear from some that he should prioritize a single theater and downgrade U.S. interests and commitments elsewhere," but if "the United States continues to retreat, its enemies will be only too happy to fill the void."
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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