A new biography about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sheds light on his emotional and personal reactions to the events surrounding the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and former President Donald Trump’s post-election behavior. Titled The Price of Power and authored by Michael Tackett, the book explores McConnell’s inner turmoil during one of the most chaotic moments in recent U.S. political history.
According to excerpts from the book, McConnell was deeply affected by the January 6 attack and the days that followed. The normally stoic senator reportedly broke down in tears as he addressed his staff shortly after the Capitol was cleared of rioters. In a rare display of vulnerability, McConnell is quoted saying, “You are my family, and I hate the fact that you had to go through this,” while he sobbed softly, overwhelmed by the events of the day.
Despite his public restraint, the biography reveals a much more candid and emotional side of McConnell. His private remarks about Trump following the election and the insurrection were far harsher than his public statements. According to Tackett, McConnell called Trump “stupid as well as being ill-tempered,” and went so far as to label the former president a “despicable human being” and a “narcissist.”
McConnell’s frustrations with Trump, as described in the book, had been brewing for some time but came to a head in the wake of the Capitol riot. The biography recounts how McConnell confided in close associates that Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results and his inflammatory rhetoric leading up to the riot had profoundly shaken his view of the former president. He is quoted as saying that Trump’s actions “only underscore the good judgment of the American people” in voting him out of office.
“They’ve had just enough of the misrepresentations, the outright lies almost on a daily basis, and they fired him,” McConnell reportedly said. His contempt for Trump’s behavior grew even stronger in the days after the riot, especially as the former president continued to peddle false claims of election fraud.
Historically, McConnell had maintained a careful balance in his relationship with Trump. While he supported much of Trump’s policy agenda during his presidency, including key legislative victories and numerous judicial appointments, their personal relationship was often strained. The biography highlights how McConnell was increasingly troubled by the rise of “Trumpism” within the Republican Party, which he believed was transforming the GOP into something almost unrecognizable.
Tackett’s book portrays McConnell as a man caught between two worlds: the traditional conservatism he had spent his career defending and the populist wave that Trump ushered into the party. McConnell, a shrewd political operator, was acutely aware of Trump’s enduring influence within the GOP, but privately, he struggled with the direction the party was heading.
In the weeks following the January 6 riot, McConnell publicly distanced himself from Trump, even criticizing the former president’s role in inciting the violence. However, his criticism never escalated into full-blown condemnation, and he refrained from voting to convict Trump during the Senate impeachment trial that followed.
The biography delves into McConnell’s reasons for not more aggressively challenging Trump, suggesting that the Senate Minority Leader was playing a longer political game. With Trump still holding significant sway over Republican voters, McConnell was wary of alienating the former president’s base, knowing that he would need their support to regain control of the Senate in future elections.
In a somewhat surprising twist, McConnell has since come around to publicly supporting Trump’s 2024 presidential bid. Earlier this year, following Trump’s strong performance in the Republican primary season, McConnell issued a statement backing Trump’s campaign for the White House. “It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” McConnell said.
The Senate Minority Leader’s support of Trump, despite their personal differences, highlights the political realities McConnell faces as he navigates the post-Trump era of the Republican Party. His statement emphasized the need for the GOP to shift from playing defense against the Biden administration to launching an “offense” aimed at making tangible improvements in Americans’ lives.
Yet, The Price of Power paints a picture of a man deeply conflicted about the state of his party and the role Trump continues to play in it. McConnell’s private disdain for Trump, combined with his public backing of the former president, underscores the complicated dynamics at play in today’s Republican Party. As McConnell grapples with the populist forces that have reshaped the GOP, his political future—and the future of the party—remains uncertain.
As the 2024 election looms, McConnell’s actions will be closely scrutinized, especially in light of these new revelations about his true feelings regarding Trump. While the biography reveals a man who is privately disillusioned with Trump’s behavior, McConnell’s public support for the former president shows just how much influence Trump still wields within the party. Whether McConnell can reconcile these competing realities remains to be seen.
