Sunday on on NBC’s “Meet the Press” when asked what he meant when he told his colleagues facing tough reelection bids if Donald Trump is the nominee, you could “drop him like a hot rock,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he meant the Republican Party has several U.S. Senate races in purple states that are very competitive so the campaigns will have a different strategies to appeal to different kinds of voters.
Partial transcript as follows:
TODD: Let me ask you about who could be facing her in the fall, are you comfortable with Donald Trump as your party’s standard bearer?
MCCONNELL: Well, I’m going to support the nominee. I have got an obligation to my colleagues and to my party to support the nominee and I fully intend to do that.
TODD: But what did you mean when you told them privately you could drop
him like a hot rock? Do you think it’s appropriate for any of your Republican your senators to run against him if necessary?MCCONNELL: Well, I think we’ve got a bunch of senate races in purple states
that are very competitive. And each of those rates will be crafted very differently to try to appeal to the people in New Hampshire, or Pennsylvania, or Ohio, Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado, Illinois, every one of those races are going to be individual standalone contests with people who we think have a great chance of winning in November.TODD: And if that means running away from Donald Trump, that should be their strategy?
MCCONNELL: Well, I think every campaign will have a different strategy to appeal to different kinds of voters that we have in different parts of the country.
TODD: Are you going — and one other final thing. Donald Trump is having a meeting with various Republican leaders tomorrow in Washington before he speaks to AIPAC. Are you going to be participate in that meeting, sir?
MCCONNELL: No, I’m in Kentucky. He did call me last week. We had a good conversation.
TODD: All right, Senator Mitch McConnell, I will leave it there. Thanks for coming on, sir. Appreciate it.
MCCONNELL: Thank you, Chuck.
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.