Sources close to former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who reportedly have not spoken to each other since December 2020, say teams behind both powerhouse politicians are working toward the Kentucky Republican endorsing Trump's return to the White House.
"We've reached the part of the primary where the party is coming together," a source familiar with the discussions commented to The Hill. "The absolute worst thing that can happen to this country is electing Joe Biden for four more years, and you can expect to coalesce around that point over the next nine months."
According to The New York Times, which first reported the possible endorsement, conversations have been taking place between Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita and McConnell confidant and political strategist Josh Holmes.
The two started making an effort last month at about the time of the Iowa caucuses, sources told The Times, and Trump and McConnell were made aware of the talks.
In late January, Trump was telling people that he expected the key McConnell endorsement.
A McConnell endorsement would give Trump a vital party endorsement while signaling donors and anti-Trump Republicans that getting behind him in the idea of defeating President Joe Biden, who is far ahead of Trump in campaign cash, is acceptable.
McConnell, though, strongly blamed Trump as being "practically and morally responsible" for the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the U.S. Capitol, but has also said he will endorse whomever the eventual GOP nominee is.
"President Trump is the presumptive nominee and it is time for the entire party to coalesce behind him to defeat crooked Joe Biden," Trump communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement to The Times. "Senior members of the campaign have had many conversations but only engage with those who are actually willing to fight for America First principles and to take back the White House."
McConnell spokesman Doug Andres declined to comment on the talks.
Trump has already been endorsed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and was endorsed Sunday by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., McConnell's deputy.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who leads the Senate Republican campaign arm, said he's been encouraging all party members to unite behind Trump, in hopes of defeating Biden and winning the party's control of the Senate.
However, the bad blood continues between McConnell and Trump, including in recent weeks when the Kentucky senator saw the bipartisan immigration and foreign aid bill he pushed for die after Trump pushed on lawmakers to vote against it.
Trump has also publicly attacked McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, calling the Taiwan-born woman who served as his transportation secretary McConnell's "China-loving wife" or "Coco Chow."
Chao resigned one day after the Jan. 6 Capitol incidents, calling the matter a "traumatic and entirely avoidable event."
However, while Trump was in office, he and McConnell worked together on a major tax cut law, confirming a record number of federal judges, and with the confirmation of three conservative Supreme Court justices.
Their relationship was destroyed after Jan. 6 including with McConnell telling his colleagues he had considered voting to impeach Trump in the second trial but decided against it and telling Congress in a speech that he believed those who stormed the Capitol were acting on Trump's "wishes and instruction."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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