After stepping down from his Senate leadership position, Sen. Mitch McConnell is already back to attacking President Donald Trump.
During a “60 Minutes” interview with anchor Leslie Stahl, the Kentucky Republican attacked Trump for pardoning the Capitol rioters while revealing he has not spoken with the president for “quite a while.”
Trump pardoned nearly 1,500 people currently imprisoned for rioting at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, just hours after being inaugurated on Jan. 20.
Below is a transcript of the exchange:
STAHL: “How would you describe your relationship with President Trump?”
McConnell: “Well, we haven’t spoken for quite a while. I was very upset about what happened January 6.”
STAHL: “You had to be evacuated from the Senate, along with other leaders. Your staff was in your office. The rioters were banging on your door. Someone with a flagpole broke a window into your office.”
McConnell: “Well, my staff in the Capitol was putting furniture up against the doors.”
STAHL: “To prevent them from — “
McConnell: “To prevent the rioters from outside from breaking the doors and getting at them. And what was it about? To try to prevent the orderly transfer of government, which has never happened in our country.”
STAHL: “Your staff, after the crisis was over, you went and spoke with them. It was a highly emotional situation. You remember?”
McConnell: “Oh, I remember well.”
STAHL: “Do you remember what you told them?”
McConnell: “That — yeah, I remember what I told them.”
STAHL (voice-over): “That emotion turned to fury.”
McConnell: “President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.”
McConnell: “That’s the way I still feel about it.”
STAHL: “What are your views on President Trump and his supporters trying to change what happened on
January 6? They’re calling it a ‘day of love.’ They called the rioters ‘martyrs.’”
McConnell: “Yeah. No, it — it was an insurrection.”
STAHL: “What about the pardons for the people who stormed the Capitol that day?”
McConnell: “I think pardoning the people who’ve been convicted is a mistake.”
McConnell came under fire last month when he voted against Pete Hegseth, who went on to be confirmed as the Secretary of Defense.
Republicans on X were furious with the 82-year-old senator, and they let him know about it.
“WTF? Mitch McConnell immediately walked over and CELEBRATED with the Democrats after voting against Hegseth This man HAS TO GO in 2026. The people of Kentucky voted for Trump’s mandate—not this anti-Trump BS,” conservative commentator Nick Sortorsaidwith a video showing the interaction
“After voting against Pete Hegseth, Mitch McConnell went to the left side of the aisle to hang out with Democrats,” Tim Youngsaidin the caption of a photo.
“Mitch McConnell just voted NO on President Trump’s secretary of defense nominee This led to VP Vance having to rush down to cast a tie-breaking vote, only the 2nd such vote in U.S. history As Republican Senators gather around to congratulate Vance, notice McConnell walk over and SHAKE HANDS with the Democrats. If you thought RFK Jr and Tulsi was going to be easy—think again. The GOP Establishment isn’t going down without a fight. Get ready,” another X usersaid, offering a prediction for some of President Donald Trump’s more controversial nominees.
“Mitch McConnell is the Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Sub Committee. Majority Leader, John Thune should remove him from that committee,” anothersaid.
“Mitch McConnell should be censured, primaried, voted out of office, and ostracized from the Republican Party. There is no place for deep state RINOs in President Trump’s GOP,” Brigitte Gabriel, the founder of ACT for America,said.
A reporter asked Trump what he thought about McConnell’s “no” vote, but he said he didn’t know how McConnell had voted until just then. “Winning is what matters, right?” he said.
