Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) says Joe Biden is a “good guy,” breaking with former President Trump’s repeated efforts to villainize the president as the corrupt mastermind behind schemes to steal elections and persecute political opponents.
But McConnell, who has endorsed Trump, says there are plenty of compelling policy reasons to oust Biden from office, and has laid out a road map for Trump to use at Thursday’s debate and on the campaign trail to attack Biden’s record in office.
“I know Joe Biden pretty well. He’s a good guy; I like him personally,” McConnell told an audience in Louisville on Tuesday, referring to the more than 20 years they spent together in the Senate and the deals they worked on when Biden was vice president.
“What McConnell might be trying to do here is appeal to Republicans who really don’t like Trump — just as he doesn’t really like Trump — but maybe aren’t fully focused on the policy differences and would be more inclined to vote for Trump, given that stark contrast,” Cross said.
Cross pointed out that McConnell has always been open about his personal regard for Biden, despite their major disagreements over policy.
“He’s always been critical of his policies and complimentary of him personally,” he said.
McConnell and Trump had a falling out in December 2020 after McConnell congratulated Biden on winning the election despite Trump’s insisting without evidence that the results had been tainted by widespread fraud.
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