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Trump Piles on McConnell Criticism

Gripes follow call from Sean Hannity for majority leader to quit

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell faces growing criticism over his recent comments about President Donald Trump’s expectations of Congress. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell faces growing criticism over his recent comments about President Donald Trump’s expectations of Congress. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
By Niels Lesniewski
Posted August 9, 2017 at 11:58am

Updated 2:43 p.m. | President Donald Trump has joined the backlash against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over comments the Kentucky Republican made back home earlier this week on tempering expectations about what Congress can and cannot achieve.

“Senator Mitch McConnell said I had ‘excessive expectations,’ but I don’t think so. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?” the president tweeted Wednesday afternoon from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

After Fox News personality Sean Hannity had excoriated McConnell for his comments, senior White House aide Dan Scavino Jr. used his personal Twitter account to lash out at McConnell Wednesday morning.

McConnell had told a northern Kentucky audience Monday that there had been some “excessive expectations” set by President Donald Trump about how quickly Congress could move his agenda.

“More excuses. @SenateMajLdr must have needed another 4 years — in addition to the 7 years — to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Scavino tweeted.

McConnell told guests at the Rotary Club event, “I think that the storyline is that we haven’t done much is because, in part, the president and others have set these early timelines about things need to be done by a certain point.”

The majority leader said he found Congress’ reputation as a snailish chamber that hasn’t accomplished anything “extremely irritating.” Trump’s lack of insider understanding in politics led him — and his base — to believe key agenda items would get squared away more quickly than they have been, McConnell said.

“Our new president, of course, has not been in this line of work before,” McConnell said. “And I think he had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the democratic process.

“YOU are a WEAK, SPINELESS leader who does not keep his word,” Hannity tweeted at McConnell on Wednesday.

“[And] you need to Retire!” he added.

Griffin Connolly contributed to this report. 

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