Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott explained Wednesday his support for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell despite attacks from former President Donald Trump.
In an interview with Guy Benson on Fox News radio, Scott was asked if he would still support McConnell as their leader moving forward, to which he responded by saying “definitely yes.” Trump slammed McConnell in a statement Tuesday night, saying the Republican party will never be “strong” with McConnell in the Senate.
“I do there’s a very simple answer, yes, the long answer is definitely yes, because at the end of the day, we’re going to have to have in our party is someone who understands how to fight fire with fire when it comes to Senator Schumer, if we are going to win back the majority and we will. If we’re going to win back the House and we will if we’re going to win back the White House and we will,” Scott said about McConnell.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., right, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., conduct a news conference after the Senate Republican Policy luncheon in Hart Building on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images/POOL)
“We’re going to have to have leaders in both all three areas that are willing to work together even after they bicker, fight and sometimes come to blows verbally. And that is something that we have overcome in the past that we will overcome in the future,” Scott added. (RELATED: ‘It Will Only Get Worse’: Trump Statement Rips Into Mitch McConnell)
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham called for an end to the dispute between Trump and McConnell.
“They are now at each other’s throat,” Graham told Fox News host Sean Hannity Tuesday night. “I am more worried about 2022 than I’ve ever been. President Trump is the most consequential Republican in the party. If Mitch McConnell doesn’t understand that, he is missing a lot. But my beef is not with Mitch McConnell, because he has the same policy views I do. My beef is that we need to knock this off.”
In late January, McConnell said that he hadn’t spoken to Trump since Dec. 15, as some reported that McConnell has said he does not want to speak to Trump again after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. However, McConnell still voted to acquit Trump in his Senate impeachment trial despite their differences. (RELATED: McConnell Says He Will Vote To Acquit Trump In Impeachment Trial)
McConnell has not yet publicly addressed Trump’s comments.