Politics: McConnell Makes a Sly Dig at Trump’s Dinner With White Supremacist

(Bloomberg) -- The top two Senate Republicans distanced themselves from Donald Trump, following the former president’s dinner with a white supremacist leader and the GOP’s poor showing in the midterm elections.

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Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday anyone who meets with people who espouse antisemitic or White supremacist views was “highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States.” Though he never mentioned Trump by name, the reference was clear.

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Trump insisted Mar-a-Lago has "strong security" despite reports that Kanye West and his entourage were able to easily enter the resort.Interactions with the America First Foundation leader have also prompted GOP politicians  to deny knowing who Fuentes is and what he stands for. Embattled former President Donald Trump is currently trying to distance himself from Fuentes following a Thanksgiving holiday sit-down at Mar-a-Lago that included the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

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“There is no room in the Republican Party for antisemitism and White supremacy,” McConnell said at his weekly news conference.

South Dakota’s John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, told a panel of Bloomberg reporters and editors in Washington that his party shouldn’t be centered on one person and should welcome a new generation of leaders. The party’s poor showing in the November election demonstrated that independent voters and some moderate Republicans were turned off by Trump, he said.

The comments from two of the most powerful Republicans signal a growing divide between GOP leadership and Trump, who announced earlier this month that he plans to seek the presidency again in 2024.

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Let’s get ready to rumble. The fight for the future of the broken Republican Party now comes down to a cage match between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and former President Trump. Well, last week McConnell won Round One. That was good news. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen McConnell do serious harm to…The fight for the future of the broken Republican Party now comes down to a cage match between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and former President Trump.

“If we’re just tied to an individual and that’s what it’s all about, that’s not a very durable, enduring message,” Thune said.

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Republicans’ rebuke of the former president has grown louder after Trump recently invited Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, to dinner at Mar-a-Lago, and he brought Nick Fuentes. Both Ye and Fuentes have publicly denigrated Jews, and Fuentes has also espoused racist views. Trump said he didn’t know Fuentes was coming, but the three men had dinner in the public areas of Trump’s Florida estate.

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Thune said his party is “evolving” and “in transition”, but declined to endorse a specific person to run for president. He said that South Carolina Senator Tim Scott “offers a lot” and should be considered and that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has shown he can be a prolific fundraiser. He also said potential candidates, including Mike Pompeo, Mike Pence and Nikki Haley, have bases of support.

GOP backlash over Trump's call for 'termination' of the US Constitution grows despite his attempts to walk back comment

Donald Trump claimed that fraud related to the 2020 election allowed for the "termination of all rules even those found in the Constitution"Interactions with the America First Foundation leader have also prompted GOP politicians  to deny knowing who Fuentes is and what he stands for. Embattled former President Donald Trump is currently trying to distance himself from Fuentes following a Thanksgiving holiday sit-down at Mar-a-Lago that included the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

Asked if he would support Trump if he’s the Republican presidential nominee in 2024, McConnell said that his comments apply to anyone running. McConnell has said before that he would support Trump if he’s the GOP nominee.

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