Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave his strongest defense yet of Donald Trump on Wednesday, but still kept him at arms’ length.

Speaking at a rally in Georgetown, Kentucky, McConnell said “We need a new president, Donald Trump, to be the most powerful Republican in America,” The Associated Press reported.

McConnell has offered muted praise for Trump in the past to give endangered incumbents enough room to distance themselves from the GOP nominee’s more toxic statements.

At the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July, McConnell highlighted the progress made by the Republican-led Senate and said Trump would build on it.

On Wednesday, the majority leader told the central Kentucky crowd, “If America votes like Kentucky, we’ll be fine.”

McConnell’s defense stands in contrast with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, who said he voted for Trump but had previously stated that he would no longer defend his party’s presidential nominee.