After Mitch McConnell Votes Against Trump’s Cabinet Nominees, Trump Calls Him Mentally Unequipped, Says He ‘Doesn’t Know’ If He Had Polio

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) voted against President Donald Trump’s nominations for three crucial Cabinet votes: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy.

Hegseth won by a thin margin, from a tie broken by Vice President JD Vance. Republican Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also voted against Hegseth, but McConnell was the only Republican to vote against Gabbard and Kennedy.

McConnell, the former GOP Senate leader, was likely skeptical of the defense nominee and the intelligence nominee given his background in defense as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. As for Kennedy, McConnell referenced his personal experience with polio and the effectiveness of vaccines, which Kennedy was skeptical of. 

McConnell faced extensive backlash from members of the Republican party, including from Trump himself. “He wasn’t equipped ten years ago, mentally, in my opinion. He votes against everything now. He’s a, you know, very bitter guy,” Trump said. He also expressed skepticism regarding McConnell’s history of having polio, saying “I have no idea if he had polio.” 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune defended McConnell by saying that “he knows better than anybody how hard it is to lead a place like the United States Senate, where it takes 60 votes to get most things done.” He also said that McConnell “is still active up here and still a strong voice on issues he’s passionate about, including national security, and so when it comes to those issues, he has outsized influence and a voice that we all pay attention to.” 

Although McConnell has not officially announced retirement plans, he is expected to soon and Republicans are already prepared for the competition to fill his seat. McConnell is the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, and some view his act of voting against his party as a statement of liberation.