Sen. Mitch McConnell took a subtle attack on President-elect Donald Trump during a speech Saturday night.
Speaking at the annual Reagan Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the Kentucky senator claimed that current “influential voices” are giving up on the threats from China and Russia and ignoring the Cold War history.
“It is becoming increasingly popular within the party that Ronald Reagan once led that the kind of global leadership that he forged is no longer America’s place,” McConnell said. According to Politico It also states that he received a “standing ovation” after his speech. “But let us be absolutely clear: Those who are content with controlling our decline will not make America great again,” he said, referring to Trump’s slogan and appearing to take a swipe at the president-elect.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (right) speak during a meeting on tax reform in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 5, 2017.
McConnell then criticized some in both Republicans and Democrats, claiming they were supporting “dangerous fictions” about the United States’ place in global politics.
“On both ends of our political spectrum, a dangerous illusion is taking hold – that America’s dominance and the results of our leadership are self-sustaining,” he said. “While NATO and allies in the Indo-Pacific region have reaffirmed their commitment to hard power, interoperability and collective defense, some are now questioning the central role of the United States in these force-multiplying institutions and partnerships.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives at a news conference after a luncheon with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol on February 26, 2023 in Washington, DC.
After resigning as Republican leader, McConnell will serve as chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, which oversees the Pentagon’s budget. In his speech, he urged “generational investment in defense” and increased weapons production.
“The Pentagon does not have the capacity to meet the needs of a protracted or multi-theater conflict,” he said. “Neither is our defense industrial base.”
“Patriot companies have more work to do to expand capacity. They need to do it today, rather than waiting for the contracts we all know are coming,” McConnell continued. “We need to adopt new technologies faster and expand production capacity at the same time.”
