(FiveNation.com)- The upcoming book “This Will Not Pass,” written by New York Times reporters Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin, has had plenty of controversial nuggets released in just the last few days.
The latest one revolves around former President Donald Trump and his feelings about Mitch McConnell, who served as the Senate majority leader while Trump was in the White House.
As part of an excerpt of the book that was obtained by multiple media outlets recently, Trump said he believed that he would still be president today if it were not for McConnell’s decision not to support his claims of election fraud following the 2020 presidential election.
As part of an interview Trump gave at his Florida resort, the former president said:
“Had Mitch stuck with many members of the party who knew the election was rigged, I think we wouldn’t be at Mar-a-Lago. We would be at the White House having this conversation.”
According to the book, Trump also said:
“Mitch McConnell and his RINO friends would rather see a Democrat like Biden be president than a Republican like me. It works better for him and his agenda, but it doesn’t work better for our Country.”
At one point during the Trump administration, the former president and McConnell had a great working relationship. The two teamed up to confirm many conservative federal judges on benches across the country, including three on the Supreme Court.
But, that all changed following the attacks on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021, and the events that preceded and followed. McConnell criticized Trump’s actions during and after that infamous day, and shot down all notions that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
After Trump faced his second impeachment trial in the Senate, McConnell went as far as saying that the former president was “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events” that happened on January 6. McConnell did stop short of voting to convict Trump, though only on a technicality since he wasn’t a sitting president at the time.
Since then, McConnell — who serves as the current minority leader in the Senate — has come around a bit, changing his tune. He recently said in an interview that if Trump were to run for president in 2024 and become the GOP nominee, he would support him for the White House.
He said:
“I think I have an obligation to support the nominee of my party. That will mean that whoever the nominee is has gone out and earned the nomination.”
That’s hardly a rousing endorsement speech, but it’s at least not an indication that McConnell will actively campaign against Trump.
Trump, though, hasn’t been as forgiving. After McConnell voted in favor of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was passed last year, Trump said:
“Why is it that Old Crow Mitch McConnell voted for a terrible Democrat Socialist Infrastructure Plan, and induced others in his Party to do likewise, when he was incapable of getting a great Infrastructure Plan wanting to be put forward by me and the Republican Party?”
