Mitch McConnell

===Relationships with presidential administrations===
====Obama====
As the leading Republican senator, McConnell confronted and pressured other Republican senators who were willing to negotiate with Democrats and the Obama administration.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/health-care-reform-and-american-politics-9780190262044?cc=is&lang=en&|title=Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know|last1=Jacobs|first1=Lawrence|last2=Skocpol|first2=Theda|date=2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190262044|edition=Third|location=Oxford, New York|pages=85–86, 195|access-date=October 6, 2018|archive-date=June 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628005402/https://global.oup.com/academic/product/health-care-reform-and-american-politics-9780190262044?cc=is&lang=en&|url-status=live}}</ref> According to [[Purdue University]] political scientist Bert A. Rockman, "pure party line voting has been evident now for some time&nbsp;... but rarely has the tactic of 'oppositionism' been so boldly stated as McConnell did."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rockman|first=Bert A. |date=October 10, 2012|title=The Obama Presidency: Hope, Change, and Reality|journal=Social Science Quarterly |volume=93|issue=5 |pages=1065–1080 |doi=10.1111/j.1540-6237.2012.00921.x |issn=0038-4941}}</ref> According to [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas]] legal scholar [[Sanford Levinson]], McConnell learned that obstruction and Republican unity were the optimal ways to ensure Republican gains in upcoming elections after he observed how Democratic cooperation with the Bush administration on [[No Child Left Behind Act|No Child Left Behind]] and [[Medicare Part D]] helped Bush's [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 re-election]].<ref name="Levinson-2012">{{Cite book|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/framed-9780199890750?cc=us&lang=en&|title=Framed: America's 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance|last=Levinson|first=Sanford|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2012|isbn=9780199890750|location=Oxford, New York|page=234|access-date=October 8, 2018|archive-date=October 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010131533/https://global.oup.com/academic/product/framed-9780199890750?cc=us&lang=en&|url-status=live}}</ref> Levinson noted, "McConnell altogether rationally&nbsp;... concluded that Republicans have nothing to gain, as a political party, from collaborating in anything that the president could then claim as an achievement."<ref name="Levinson-2012" /> A number of political scientists, historians, and legal scholars have characterized McConnell's obstructionism and [[constitutional hardball]] as contributors to democratic erosion in the United States.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{Cite book|url=http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/American-Amnesia/Jacob-S-Hacker/9781451667837|title=American Amnesia|last1=Hacker|first1=Jacob|last2=Pierson|first2=Paul|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=2017|isbn=9781451667837|access-date=October 6, 2018|archive-date=November 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118185320/http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/American-Amnesia/Jacob-S-Hacker/9781451667837|url-status=live}}
* {{Cite book|url=https://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo28381225.html|title=How to Save a Constitutional Democracy|last1=Ginsburg|first1=Tom|last2=Huq|first2=Aziz|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=2019|page=126|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215174114/https://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo28381225.html|url-status=live}}
* {{Cite news|url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/10/25/suffocation-of-democracy|title=The Suffocation of Democracy|last=Browning|first=Christopher R.|work=The New York Review of Books|access-date=October 6, 2018|archive-date=October 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005120644/https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/10/25/suffocation-of-democracy/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|url=http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674046832|title=The Promise of Party in a Polarized Age|last=Muirhead|first=Russell|date=September 8, 2014 |publisher=Harvard University Press|page=254|isbn=9780674046832 |access-date=March 14, 2019|archive-date=October 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008151351/http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674046832|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Levitsky-2018" /><ref name="Mann-2017" /><ref name="Mounk-2018" />

In October 2010, McConnell said "the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." Asked whether this meant "endless, or at least frequent, confrontation with the president", McConnell clarified that "if [Obama is] willing to meet us halfway on some of the biggest issues, it's not inappropriate for us to do business with him."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/when-did-mcconnell-say-he-wanted-to-make-obama-a-one-term-president/2012/09/24/79fd5cd8-0696-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_blog.html|title=When did McConnell say he wanted to make Obama a 'one-term president'?|author=Kessler, Glenn|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=September 25, 2012|access-date=September 14, 2014|archive-date=August 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822191007/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/when-did-mcconnell-say-he-wanted-to-make-obama-a-one-term-president/2012/09/24/79fd5cd8-0696-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_blog.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson, "Facing off against Obama, [McConnell] worked to deny even minimal Republican support for major presidential initiatives&nbsp;— initiatives that were, as a rule, in keeping with the moderate model of decades past, and often with moderate Republican stances of a few years past."<ref name="amnesia">{{Cite book|url=http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/American-Amnesia/Jacob-S-Hacker/9781451667837|title=American Amnesia|last1=Hacker|first1=Jacob|last2=Pierson|first2=Paul|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=2017|isbn=9781451667837|access-date=October 6, 2018|archive-date=November 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118185320/http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/American-Amnesia/Jacob-S-Hacker/9781451667837|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' noted early during Obama's administration that "on the major issues&nbsp;— not just health care, but financial regulation and the economic stimulus package, among others&nbsp;— Mr. McConnell has held Republican defections to somewhere between minimal and nonexistent, allowing him to slow the Democratic agenda if not defeat aspects of it."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/us/politics/17mcconnell.html|title=McConnell Strategy Shuns Bipartisanship|last=Nagourney|first=[[Carl Hulse]] and Adam|work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 17, 2010 |access-date=October 5, 2018|language=en|archive-date=March 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330103528/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/us/politics/17mcconnell.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Republican caucus threatened repeatedly to force the United States to default on its debt, McConnell saying he had learned from the [[United States debt-ceiling crisis of 2011|2011 debt-ceiling crisis]] that "it's a hostage that's worth ransoming."<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/605403/fault-lines-by-kevin-m-kruse/9780393088663|title=Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974|last1=Kruse|first1=Kevin|last2=Zelizer|first2=Julian|publisher=W.W. Norton|year=2019|access-date=January 14, 2019|archive-date=January 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114210912/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/605403/fault-lines-by-kevin-m-kruse/9780393088663|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Fishkin-2018">{{Cite news|url=https://columbialawreview.org/content/asymmetric-constitutional-hardball/|title=Asymmetric Constitutional Hardball|last1=Fishkin|first1=Joseph|date=2018|work=Columbia Law Review|last2=Pozen|first2=David E.|archive-date=January 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119095233/https://columbialawreview.org/content/asymmetric-constitutional-hardball/|url-status=live}}</ref>

McConnell worked to delay and obstruct [[Affordable Care Act|health care reform]] and [[Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act|banking reform]], two of the most notable pieces of legislation that Democrats navigated through Congress early in Obama's tenure.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442258723/Party-and-Procedure-in-the-United-States-Congress-Second-Edition|title=Party and Procedure in the United States Congress, Second Edition|last=Koger|first=Gregory|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2016|page=223|access-date=October 11, 2018|archive-date=October 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214754/https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442258723/Party-and-Procedure-in-the-United-States-Congress-Second-Edition|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Schickler-2011">{{Cite journal|last1=Schickler|first1=Eric|last2=Wawro|first2=Gregory J.|date=January 3, 2011|title=What the Filibuster Tells Us About the Senate|journal=The Forum|language=en|volume=9|issue=4|doi=10.2202/1540-8884.1483|s2cid=144114653|issn=1540-8884}}</ref> Political scientists noted that "by slowing action even on measures supported by many Republicans, McConnell capitalized on the scarcity of floor time, forcing Democratic leaders into difficult trade-offs concerning which measures were worth pursuing.&nbsp;... Slowing the Senate's ability to process even routine measures limited the sheer volume of liberal bills that could be adopted."<ref name="Schickler-2011" />

=====Use of the filibuster=====
One of McConnell's most common tactics as minority leader to delay or obstruct legislation and judicial appointments has been the [[Filibuster in the United States Senate|filibuster]]. A filibuster is an attempt to "talk a bill to death", forcing Senate leadership to abandon a proposed measure instead of waiting out the filibuster―or at least to delay the measure's passage. In the United States Senate, any senator may speak for unlimited duration unless a 60-person majority votes to invoke [[cloture]], or end debate, and proceed to a final vote. Political scientists have referred to McConnell's use of the filibuster as "[[constitutional hardball]]", referring to the misuse of procedural tools in a way that undermines democracy.<ref name="amnesia" /><ref name="Fishkin-2018" /><ref name="Levitsky-2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562246/how-democracies-die-by-steven-levitsky-and-daniel-ziblatt/9781524762933/|title=How Democracies Die|last1=Levitsky|first1=Steven|last2=Ziblatt|first2=Daniel|date=2018|publisher=Penguin Randomhouse|access-date=March 14, 2019|archive-date=December 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211150321/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562246/how-democracies-die-by-steven-levitsky-and-daniel-ziblatt/9781524762933/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/12/11/wisconsins-and-michigans-legislatures-are-trying-to-weaken-incoming-governors-should-you-be-worried/|title=Republicans in Wisconsin and Michigan want to weaken incoming Democratic governors. Here's what's the usual partisan politics – and what isn't.|last=Glassman|first=Matt|date=2018|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=March 14, 2019|archive-date=December 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211132519/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/12/11/wisconsins-and-michigans-legislatures-are-trying-to-weaken-incoming-governors-should-you-be-worried/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Political scientists Hacker and Pierson describe the rationale behind McConnell's filibusters, "Filibusters left no fingerprints. When voters heard that legislation had been 'defeated', journalists rarely highlighted that this defeat meant a minority had blocked a majority. Not only did this strategy produce an atmosphere of gridlock and dysfunction; it also chewed up the Senate calendar, restricting the range of issues on which Democrats could progress."<ref name="amnesia" />

In 2013, Senate Majority Leader [[Harry Reid]] [[Nuclear option|eliminated the filibuster]] for all presidential nominations except the Supreme Court. By that time, nearly half of all votes to invoke cloture in the history of the Senate had occurred during Obama's presidency.<ref name="Mann-2017">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/gop-decay-of-political-norms/540165/|title=How the GOP Prompted the Decay of Political Norms |author1=E.J. Dionne Jr. |author2=Norm Ornstein |author3=Thomas E. Mann |date=September 19, 2017|work=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=October 8, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=October 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008061326/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/gop-decay-of-political-norms/540165/|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2017, Senate Republicans led by McConnell eliminated the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations in order to end debate on the nomination of [[Neil Gorsuch]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/mcconnell-went-nuclear-confirm-gorsuch-democrats-changed-senate-filibuster-rules-n887271|title=McConnell went 'nuclear' to confirm Gorsuch. But Democrats changed Senate filibuster rules first.|work=[[NBC News]]|author=Timm, Jane C.|date=June 28, 2018|access-date=December 27, 2018|archive-date=December 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212052906/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/mcconnell-went-nuclear-confirm-gorsuch-democrats-changed-senate-filibuster-rules-n887271|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/06/republicans-go-nuclear-bust-through-democratic-filibuster-on-gorsuch.html|title=Republicans go 'nuclear,' bust through Democratic filibuster on Gorsuch|work=[[Fox News]]|author=Berger, Judson|date=April 6, 2017|access-date=December 27, 2018|archive-date=August 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804090917/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/06/republicans-go-nuclear-bust-through-democratic-filibuster-on-gorsuch.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-approves-nuclear-option-fight-gorsuch-supreme-court/story?id=46608672|title=Senate approves 'nuclear option,' clears path for Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court nomination vote|work=[[ABC News]]|author=Rogin, Ali|access-date=December 27, 2018|date=April 6, 2017|archive-date=August 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804055718/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-approves-nuclear-option-fight-gorsuch-supreme-court/story?id=46608672|url-status=live}}</ref> In August 2019, McConnell wrote an editorial for ''[[The New York Times]]'', strongly opposing the elimination of the filibuster on legislation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mitch McConnell: The Filibuster Plays a Crucial Role in Our Constitutional Order|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/opinion/mitch-mcconnell-senate-filibuster.html|author=McConnell, Mitch|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 22, 2019|access-date=September 18, 2020|archive-date=September 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903042823/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/opinion/mitch-mcconnell-senate-filibuster.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Trump ====
[[File:Trump, Pence, Ryan, McConnell celebrate tax cut passage.jpg|thumb|right|[[Donald Trump]], [[Mike Pence]], [[Paul Ryan]], and McConnell celebrate the passage of the [[Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017]], December 2017.]]
McConnell initially endorsed fellow Kentucky senator [[Rand Paul]] during the 2016 presidential campaign. Paul withdrew from the race following the Iowa caucus, and McConnell endorsed presumptive nominee Donald Trump on May 4, 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bradner |first=Eric |date=May 5, 2016 |title=McConnell 'committed to supporting' Trump |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/04/politics/mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-republican-nominee/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820073222/https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/04/politics/mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-republican-nominee/index.html |archive-date=August 20, 2020 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref> However, McConnell disagreed with Trump on multiple subsequent occasions. In May 2016, after Trump suggested that federal judge [[Gonzalo P. Curiel]] was biased against Trump because of his [[Mexican-American|Mexican heritage]], McConnell responded, "I don't agree with what he (Trump) had to say. This is a man who was born in Indiana. All of us came here from somewhere else." In July 2016, after Trump had criticized the parents of Capt. [[Humayun Khan (soldier)|Humayun Khan]], a [[Islam in the United States|Muslim-American]] soldier who was killed in Iraq, McConnell said, "All Americans should value the patriotic service of the patriots who volunteer to selflessly defend us in the armed services." On October 7, 2016, following the [[Donald Trump Access Hollywood controversy|Donald Trump ''Access Hollywood'' controversy]], McConnell said, "As the father of three daughters, I strongly believe that Trump needs to apologize directly to women and girls everywhere, and take full responsibility for the utter lack of respect for women shown in his comments on that tape."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Buchanan |first1=Larry |last2=Parlapiano |first2=Alicia |last3=Yourish |first3=Karen |date=October 8, 2016 |title=Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell Reject Donald Trump's Words, Over and Over, but Not His Candidacy |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/10/08/us/politics/how-paul-ryan-and-mitch-mcconnell-have-disavowed-trumps-words-but-not-their-support.html |url-status=live |access-date=October 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008101619/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/10/08/us/politics/how-paul-ryan-and-mitch-mcconnell-have-disavowed-trumps-words-but-not-their-support.html |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In private, McConnell reportedly expresses disdain for Trump<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Mayer, Jane |date=April 12, 2020 |title=How Mitch McConnell Became Trump's Enabler-In-Chief |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/20/how-mitch-mcconnell-became-trumps-enabler-in-chief |url-status=live |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919035353/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/20/how-mitch-mcconnell-became-trumps-enabler-in-chief |archive-date=September 19, 2020 |access-date=September 18, 2020}}</ref> and "abhors" his behavior.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mennel |first1=Eric |last2=McEvers |first2=Kelly |last3=Dreisbach |first3=Tom |date=July 11, 2019 |title='You May Need The Money More Than I Do': McConnell Once Returned Trump's Donation |work=npr.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/07/11/736047999/you-may-need-the-money-more-than-i-do-mcconnell-once-returned-trump-s-donation |url-status=live |access-date=September 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823222825/https://www.npr.org/2019/07/11/736047999/you-may-need-the-money-more-than-i-do-mcconnell-once-returned-trump-s-donation |archive-date=August 23, 2020}}</ref>

In October 2017, White House chief strategist [[Stephen Bannon]] and other Trump allies blamed McConnell for stalling the Trump administration's legislation. In response, McConnell cited the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court to show that the Senate was supportive of Trump's agenda.<ref>{{cite news |author=Uria, Daniel |date=October 22, 2017 |title=Mitch McConnell fires back at criticism against GOP |newspaper=UPI |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/10/22/Mitch-McConnell-fires-back-at-criticism-against-GOP/8551508697632/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804053601/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/10/22/Mitch-McConnell-fires-back-at-criticism-against-GOP/8551508697632/ |archive-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref>

After Joe Biden won the election of 2020 against Donald Trump, McConnell at first refused to recognize Biden as the winner of the election.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Watkins |first1=Morgan |title=In Senate speech, Mitch McConnell again won't acknowledge Joe Biden's victory over Trump |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/09/mitch-mcconnell-refuses-to-acknowledge-joe-bidens-victory-over-trump/6222737002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210318000055/https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/09/mitch-mcconnell-refuses-to-acknowledge-joe-bidens-victory-over-trump/6222737002/ |archive-date=March 18, 2021 |access-date=November 10, 2020 |website=The Courier-Journal}}</ref><ref name="nyt2020Election">{{Cite news |last1=Cochrane |first1=Emily |last2=Fandos |first2=Nicholas |date=November 9, 2020 |title=President-Elect Joe Biden's Transition: Live Updates as McConnell Backs Trump's Refusal to Concede |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/09/us/joe-biden-trump |url-status=live |access-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110213255/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/09/us/joe-biden-trump |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Swanson |first1=Ian |date=November 9, 2020 |title=McConnell declines in floor speech to congratulate Biden as president-elect |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/525177-mcconnell-declines-in-floor-speech-to-congratulate-biden-as-president-elect/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110122826/https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/525177-mcconnell-declines-in-floor-speech-to-congratulate-biden-as-president-elect |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |access-date=November 10, 2020 |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref> In his public statements, McConnell did not repeat any of Trump's false claims of voter fraud, but did not contradict them, ignoring questions about evidence and instead arguing that Trump had the right to challenge the results.<ref name="nyt2020Election" /><ref name="politico2020Election">{{cite web |title=McConnell-led Republicans hold steady against Trump concession |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/09/mcconnell-backs-trump-election-435506 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110224951/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/09/mcconnell-backs-trump-election-435506 |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |access-date=November 10, 2020 |website=[[Politico]]|date=November 9, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Shepherd |first1=Katie |title=GOP splits over Trump's false election claims, unfounded fraud allegations |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/06/republicans-split-trump-election-fraud/ |url-status=live |access-date=November 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116035335/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/06/republicans-split-trump-election-fraud/ |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |issn=0190-8286 |via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref> At the same time that McConnell refused to recognize Biden, he did celebrate Republicans who won their races in the Senate and the House in the same elections.<ref name="nyt2020Election" /><ref name="politico2020Election" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Axios |date=November 9, 2020 |title=McConnell defends Trump's refusal to concede to Biden |url=https://www.axios.com/mcconnell-defends-trump-election-concede-b141484c-a5b7-470c-adc2-bf99d6ed9f4a.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110071726/https://www.axios.com/mcconnell-defends-trump-election-concede-b141484c-a5b7-470c-adc2-bf99d6ed9f4a.html |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |access-date=November 10, 2020 |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]}}</ref>

On December 15, one day after the electoral college vote, McConnell reversed his previous stance and publicly acknowledged Biden's win, stating "Today, I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden."<ref>{{cite news |date=December 15, 2020 |title=McConnell for the first time recognizes Biden as President-elect |publisher=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/15/politics/mitch-mcconnell-congratulates-joe-biden/index.html |access-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215154311/https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/15/politics/mitch-mcconnell-congratulates-joe-biden/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On January 6, during the [[2021 United States Electoral College vote count|Electoral College vote count]], McConnell spoke out against the [[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|efforts of Trump and his allies to overturn the election]]:

{{blockquote|Trump claims the election was stolen. The assertions range from specific local allegations to constitutional arguments to sweeping conspiracy theories&nbsp;... nothing before us proves illegality anywhere near the massive scale&nbsp;— the massive scale&nbsp;— that would have tipped the entire election.&nbsp;... If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral. We'd never see the whole nation accept an election again. Every four years would be a scramble for power at any cost.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Phillips |first1=Amber |title=Analysis {{!}} Mitch McConnell's forceful rejection of Trump's election 'conspiracy theories' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/06/mitch-mcconnells-forceful-rejection-trumps-election-conspiracy-theories/ |access-date=January 8, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 6, 2021 |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107203528/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/06/mitch-mcconnells-forceful-rejection-trumps-election-conspiracy-theories/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Later that day, he described the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|storming of the Capitol building]] (which occurred while the Electoral College votes were being counted) as a "failed insurrection" which "tried to disrupt our democracy".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fandos |first1=Nicholas |last2=Cochrane |first2=Emily |last3=Sullivan |first3=Eileen |last4=Thrush |first4=Glenn |last5=Kanno-Youngs |first5=Zolan |last6=Martin |first6=Jonathan |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Resuming electoral counting, McConnell condemns the mob assault on the Capitol as a 'failed insurrection.' |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/insurrection.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107042449/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/insurrection.html |archive-date=January 7, 2021}}</ref>

On April 10, 2021, Trump called McConnell a "dumb son of a bitch". Trump added: "I hired his wife. Did he ever say thank you?"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dawsey |first=Josh |title=Trump slashes at McConnell as he reiterates election falsehoods at Republican event |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-mcconnell-election/2021/04/11/297a82da-9879-11eb-962b-78c1d8228819_story.html |access-date=April 11, 2021 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=April 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411113504/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-mcconnell-election/2021/04/11/297a82da-9879-11eb-962b-78c1d8228819_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Trump has continued to attack McConnell in personal terms since then, but McConnell has not responded publicly.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 15, 2021 |title=Trump blames election loss on "suppression polling," attacks Pence and "pathetic" McConnell |url=https://www.newsweek.com/trump-blames-election-loss-suppression-polling-attacks-pence-pathetic-mcconnell-1591853 |website=[[Newsweek]] |access-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518011025/https://www.newsweek.com/trump-blames-election-loss-suppression-polling-attacks-pence-pathetic-mcconnell-1591853 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Paul Cantanese, McClatchy reporter. (December 21, 2021). "If you can't beat him, ignore him. How McConnell survived a year of Trump's attacks". [https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article256766102.html Lexington Herald-Leader website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224001820/https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article256766102.html |date=December 24, 2021 }} Retrieved December 22, 2021.</ref>

=====First impeachment=====
{{Main|First impeachment of Donald Trump}}
On November 5, 2019, as the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] began public hearings on the impeachment of President Trump, McConnell said, "I'm pretty sure how [an impeachment trial is] likely to end.&nbsp;... If it were today, I don't think there's any question&nbsp;— it would not lead to a removal."<ref>{{cite web |author=Levine, Marianne |date=November 5, 2019 |title=McConnell says Senate would acquit Trump if trial held today |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/05/mcconell-senate-acquit-trump-066103 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030221116/https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/05/mcconell-senate-acquit-trump-066103 |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |work=[[Politico]]}}</ref>

On December 14, 2019, McConnell met with White House counsel [[Pat Cipollone]] and White House legislative affairs director [[Eric Ueland]]. Later that day, McConnell declared that for Trump's impeachment trial, he would be in "total coordination with the White House counsel's office" and Trump's representatives.<ref name="dictatetrial">{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |date=December 14, 2019 |title=McConnell indicates he'll let Trump's lawyers dictate Trump's impeachment trial |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/12/13/mcconnell-says-hell-let-trumps-white-house-dictate-trumps-impeachment-trial/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219124528/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/12/13/mcconnell-says-hell-let-trumps-white-house-dictate-trumps-impeachment-trial/ |archive-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Carney |first=Jordain |date=December 12, 2019 |title=McConnell says he'll be in 'total coordination' with White House on impeachment trial strategy |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/474399-mcconnell-says-hell-be-in-total-coordination-with-white-house-on-impeachment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120195811/https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/474399-mcconnell-says-hell-be-in-total-coordination-with-white-house-on-impeachment |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |access-date=December 20, 2019 |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref> He also declared that there was "no chance" the Senate would convict Trump and remove him from office.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Egan |first1=Lauren |date=December 13, 2019 |title=McConnell: 'There's no chance' Trump is removed from office |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/mcconnell-there-s-no-chance-trump-removed-office-n1101286 |url-status=live |access-date=December 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215202600/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/mcconnell-there-s-no-chance-trump-removed-office-n1101286 |archive-date=December 15, 2019}}</ref>

On December 17, 2019, McConnell rejected a request to call four witnesses for Trump's impeachment trial because, according to McConnell, the Senate's role was to "act as judge and jury", not to investigate. Later that day, McConnell told the media: "I'm not an impartial juror [in this impeachment trial]. This is a political process. There's not anything judicial about it."<ref>{{cite news |author=Coogan, Steve |date=December 17, 2019 |title=Trump impeachment debate |work=[[USA Today]] |url=https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/2678381001 |url-status=live |access-date=December 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220140322/https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/2678381001 |archive-date=December 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Morgan |first1=David |last2=Cornwell |first2=Susan |date=December 17, 2019 |title=On eve of expected impeachment, Trump lashes out at Pelosi, Democrats |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment/top-senate-republican-opposes-demand-for-witnesses-in-trump-impeachment-trial-idUSKBN1YL15V?il=0 |url-status=live |access-date=December 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120195825/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment/top-senate-republican-opposes-demand-for-witnesses-in-trump-impeachment-trial-idUSKBN1YL15V?il=0 |archive-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref>

After Trump's acquittal, McConnell was noted for his ability to block witnesses, to secure Trump's acquittal, and to maintain party unity during the impeachment process. Commentators noted that McConnell had kept Republican senators "marching in lockstep" throughout the process.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bolton |first1=Alexander |date=February 7, 2020 |title=McConnell displays mastery of Senate with impeachment victory |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/481953-mcconnell-displays-mastery-of-senate-with-impeachment-victory/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217072734/https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/481953-mcconnell-displays-mastery-of-senate-with-impeachment-victory |archive-date=February 17, 2020 |access-date=February 18, 2020 |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cillizza |first1=Chris |date=January 31, 2020 |title=How Mitch McConnell pulled off a near-impossible impeachment feat |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/31/politics/mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-senate-impeachment-trial/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218045052/https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/31/politics/mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-senate-impeachment-trial/index.html |archive-date=February 18, 2020 |access-date=February 18, 2020 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Fritze |first1=John |last2=Wu |first2=Nicholas |last3=Jackson |first3=David |title=Charm, patience and Twitter tactics: How Trump, McConnell kept GOP in line on impeachment |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/02/06/senate-impeachment-trial-how-trump-mcconnell-kept-gop-line/4669695002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218072817/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/02/06/senate-impeachment-trial-how-trump-mcconnell-kept-gop-line/4669695002/ |archive-date=February 18, 2020 |access-date=February 18, 2020 |website=[[USA Today]]}}</ref>

=====Second impeachment=====
{{Main|Second impeachment of Donald Trump}}

On January 12, 2021, it was reported that McConnell supported impeaching Trump for his role in inciting the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, believing it would make it easier for Republicans to purge the party of Trump and rebuild the party.<ref>{{cite news |title=McConnell is said to be pleased about impeachment, believing it will be easier to purge Trump from the G.O.P. |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 12, 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/us/mitch-mcconnell-trump-impeachment.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112214332/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/us/mitch-mcconnell-trump-impeachment.html |archive-date=January 12, 2021|last1=Martin |first1=Jonathan |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie }}</ref> On January 13, despite having the authority to call for an emergency meeting of the Senate to hold the Senate trial,{{failed verification|date=April 2021}} McConnell did not reconvene the chamber, claiming unanimous consent was required.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bolton |first1=Alexander |date=January 13, 2021 |title=McConnell won't agree to reconvene Senate early for impeachment trial |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/534053-mcconnell-wont-agree-to-reconvene-senate-early-for-impeachment-trial/ |access-date=February 14, 2021 |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |publisher=Capitol Hill Publishing Corp. |archive-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113193717/https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/534053-mcconnell-wont-agree-to-reconvene-senate-early-for-impeachment-trial |url-status=live }}</ref> McConnell called for delaying the Senate trial until after Joe Biden's inauguration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Watkins |first=Morgan |title=In Senate vote, McConnell opposes Trump impeachment trial's constitutionality |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2021/02/09/big-vote-mitch-mcconnell-opposes-trump-trials-constitutionality/4454794001/ |access-date=May 11, 2021 |website=The Courier-Journal |language=en-US |archive-date=January 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129062342/https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2021/02/09/big-vote-mitch-mcconnell-opposes-trump-trials-constitutionality/4454794001/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Once the Senate trial started, McConnell voted to acquit Trump on February 13, 2021, and said it was unconstitutional to convict someone who was no longer in office.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berman |first=Ari |title=Mitch McConnell delayed Trump's impeachment trial. Now he says the delay makes it unconstitutional. |url=https://www.motherjones.com/mojo-wire/2021/02/mitch-mcconnell-delayed-trumps-impeachment-trial-now-he-says-the-delay-makes-it-unconstitutional/ |access-date=May 11, 2021 |website=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |language=en-US |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419074210/https://www.motherjones.com/mojo-wire/2021/02/mitch-mcconnell-delayed-trumps-impeachment-trial-now-he-says-the-delay-makes-it-unconstitutional/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The vote was a bipartisan majority ([[Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump#Verdict|57–43]]) but not enough to pass the two-thirds threshold.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trump acquitted, denounced in historic impeachment trial |url=https://www.startribune.com/trump-acquitted-denounced-in-historic-impeachment-trial/600022669/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219215356/https://www.startribune.com/trump-acquitted-denounced-in-historic-impeachment-trial/600022669/ |archive-date=February 19, 2021 |access-date=February 13, 2021 |website=Star Tribune}}</ref> After the vote McConnell lambasted and condemned Trump, despite his vote to acquit, in a 20-minute speech on the floor of the Senate, saying he believes Trump to be guilty of everything alleged by the House managers.<ref>{{cite web |title=McConnell: 'Trump is still liable for everything he did' – read full speech |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mcconnell-trump-is-still-liable-for-everything-he-did-read-full-speech-11613254884 |access-date=February 13, 2021 |website=[[MarketWatch]] |archive-date=February 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213223047/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mcconnell-trump-is-still-liable-for-everything-he-did-read-full-speech-11613254884 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=McConnell blames Trump but voted not guilty anyway|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/13/politics/mitch-mcconnell-acquit-trump/index.html|access-date=February 13, 2021|website=[[CNN]]|first1=Alex|last1=Rogers|first2=Manu|last2=Raju|date=February 13, 2021|archive-date=February 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214025808/https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/13/politics/mitch-mcconnell-acquit-trump/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He stated that:

{{blockquote|Former President Trump's actions preceding the riot were a disgraceful dereliction of duty&nbsp;... There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day&nbsp;... If President Trump were still in office, I would have carefully considered whether the House managers proved their specific charge.<ref name="republicanleader.senate.gov">{{cite web |title=McConnell on Impeachment: 'Disgraceful Dereliction"" Cannot Lead Senate to 'Defy Our Own Constitutional Guardrails' |url=https://www.republicanleader.senate.gov/newsroom/remarks/mcconnell-on-impeachment-disgraceful-dereliction-cannot-lead-senate-to-defy-our-own-constitutional-guardrails |access-date=February 13, 2021 |website=republicanleader.senate.gov |archive-date=February 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213231557/https://www.republicanleader.senate.gov/newsroom/remarks/mcconnell-on-impeachment-disgraceful-dereliction-cannot-lead-senate-to-defy-our-own-constitutional-guardrails |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

He explained why he nonetheless voted to acquit: "Article&nbsp;II, Section&nbsp;4 must have force. It tells us the President, Vice President, and civil officers may be impeached and convicted. Donald Trump is no longer the president. Clearly that mandatory sentence cannot be applied to somebody who has left office. The entire process revolves around removal. If removal becomes impossible, conviction becomes insensible." Yet he said that Trump "didn't get away with anything yet" since Trump would remain subject to the country's criminal and civil laws.<ref name="republicanleader.senate.gov" />

When there was a proposal for an independent [[January 6 commission|commission to investigate the January 6 United States Capitol attack]], McConnell sought to organize Republican Senators to filibuster it,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senate Republicans prepared to block Jan. 6 commission |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/27/republicans-to-block-january-6-commission-491162 |access-date=May 27, 2021 |website=[[Politico]] |first=Burgess |last=Everett |date=May 27, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=June 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601030852/https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/27/republicans-to-block-january-6-commission-491162 |url-status=live }}</ref> and on May 28, 2021, he voted against its creation.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 28, 2021 |title=Which senators supported a Jan. 6 Capitol riot commission |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/january6-commission-senators-vote/ |access-date=May 29, 2021 |archive-date=May 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526225939/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/january6-commission-senators-vote/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Biden====
McConnell's relationship with the Biden administration has been portrayed in media as one of comity. Biden has described McConnell as "a friend, colleague and 'man of his word.'" McConnell, for his part, has praised bipartisan legislation they worked on together, and had been the only Republican to attend the funeral of Biden's son, Beau (in 2015).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/04/biden-kentucky-mcconnell-00076303 | title=Biden and McConnell's visit to Kentucky signals White House roadmap for next 2 years under split Congress | website=[[Politico]] | date=January 4, 2023 | access-date=January 6, 2023 | archive-date=January 6, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106185203/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/04/biden-kentucky-mcconnell-00076303 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2021, McConnell helped pass a bill that extended the [[United States debt ceiling|debt ceiling]]. He convinced 11 Republicans to vote with the Democrats for it, without which the United States would have defaulted on its debts.<ref name="BBCdebt21">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58820071 | title=Debt ceiling: What's next for the US debt limit | publisher=[[BBC News]] | date=October 15, 2021 | accessdate=May 27, 2023 | archive-date=May 25, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525174756/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58820071 | url-status=live }}</ref>