McConnell’s Rebuke Points To Fact That Trump, GOP Miles Apart On Foreign Policy

UNITED STATES - JANUARY 25: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., talks with reporters outside the Senate chamber about a continuing resolution to re-open the government on Friday, January 25, 2019. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
UNITED STATES - JANUARY 25: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., talks with reporters outside the Senate chamber about a continuing resolution to re-open the government on Friday, January 25, 2019. (Photo B... UNITED STATES - JANUARY 25: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., talks with reporters outside the Senate chamber about a continuing resolution to re-open the government on Friday, January 25, 2019. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rebuked the President’s desire to immediately withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Syria on Tuesday, underscoring the larger landscape of the gaping chasm between Trump and Republicans on foreign policy.

According to a Tuesday New York Times report, Republicans have been nervous about Trump’s foreign policy instincts from the start, especially when they helped pass Russian sanctions over his objection in 2017.

In recent weeks, already disgruntled by the shutdown, Republicans legislatively repudiated Trump’s worldview multiple times: in the House, many of them voted to overturn the administration’s decision to lift Russian sanctions and to prevent Trump from yanking the U.S. out of NATO.

Per the Times, even the way Trump makes foreign policy decisions shakes establishment hawks. His messy and abrupt decision to pull out from Syria, prompting the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, rattled Republicans and predisposed them to push back.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. ‘tax cuts and judges’

    In case anyone is interested in what’s fueling this GOP-Trump marriage.

  2. Then there’s this . If you were watching ABC Nightlly news they played a sound bite

    The Kochsucker after the hearings was asked about the discrepancy between what the intel chiefs were saying vs Trump

    I am not making this up
    “I really wasn’t listening to the hearings so I have no opinion on that”

  3. …Just munching popcorn, wondering if I should place an over/under bet on how long before McTurtle has before he has to retreat into his shell and go grovel before Emperor Hannity for forgiveness…

  4. Oh.My.God.

    I understand that Yertle is busy with writing his next episode of real life House of Cards, but he’s supposed to have staffers to keep up with little things like that so he’s up-to-date.

    Did he borrow Melanoma’s I Really Don’t Care // Do U? jacket?

  5. Avatar for outis outis says:

    And stopping abortion and reproductive rights, and putting a halt to immigration and protections for minorities. (To some extent, this is what they want the judges for.)

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

65 more replies

Participants

Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for rob_beatty_walters Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for jep07 Avatar for 1gg Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for inversion Avatar for stradivarius50t3 Avatar for darcy Avatar for phlebas Avatar for dickweed Avatar for wagonmound Avatar for georgemilquetoast Avatar for tsp Avatar for pareedave Avatar for gemut Avatar for jacksonhts Avatar for castor_troy Avatar for kumquat16 Avatar for the_loan_arranger Avatar for outis Avatar for rascal_crone Avatar for emiliano4

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: