JD Vance, Trump’s son slam ex-GOP Senate leader’s criticism of strategy to end war in Ukraine
Former Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was attacked Monday by Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump, Jr. after questioning the administration’s strategy to end the war in Ukraine.
McConnell, who is retiring in January 2027 after representing Kentucky in the Senate for nearly 40 years, including 17 leading Republicans in the chamber, suggested President Donald Trump is being given awful advice.
“Putin has spent the entire year trying to play President Trump for a fool,” McConnell said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “If Administration officials are more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace, then the President ought to find new advisors. Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests. And a capitulation like Biden’s abandonment of Afghanistan would be catastrophic to a legacy of peace through strength.”
The former Senate GOP leader continued to question the administration’s strategy on Sunday.
McConnell said that while he agreed with Trump that former President Joe Biden’s “weakness emboldened enemies like Putin,” the Trump administration’s negotiations to end the war are favoring Russia.
“But those who think pressuring the victim and appeasing the aggressor will bring peace are kidding themselves. Which difficult concessions are we pressing Russia to make? How does limiting Ukraine’s defenses against future aggression increase the likelihood of enduring peace? The price and stability of peace matters, and our credibility is on the line. Allies and adversaries are watching: Will America hold firm against aggression or will we reward it?” McConnell tweeted.
The Kentucky senator, who has also criticized the administration’s stance on tariffs, drew the anger of Vance and Trump Jr. over his latest disagreement with the administration.
“This is a ridiculous attack on the president’s team, which has worked tirelessly to clean up the mess in Ukraine that Mitch–always eager to write blank checks to Biden’s foreign policy–left us,” Vance tweeted. “I wonder if the three candidates to replace McConnell in Kentucky share his views here.”
Trump Jr. accused McConnell of being “bitter” that his influence has waned in the Republican Party.
“Mitch is just bitter and lashing out against my father because he’s mad that Republican voters have rejected his globalist agenda on just about everything and want to put America First!” he tweeted.
