Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell endorses Trump

Image source, EPA-EFE

Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the US Senate, has endorsed Donald Trump for president.

Mr McConnell issued a statement shortly after Nikki Haley quite the race to be the Republican presidential nominee.

The long-serving Republican has frequently clashed with former President Trump, notably blaming him for the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot.

He said the endorsement came because "it is abundantly clear" Mr Trump will be his party's nominee.

"It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr McConnell is the last top Republican in Congress to back Mr Trump, and the endorsement comes after years of tensions between the two.

The Republican leader had called Mr Trump "morally responsible" in the wake of the riot on 6 January, when the former president's supporters marched on Capitol Hill and attempted to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 election win. He had reportedly not talked to Mr Trump since that day.

The two had occasionally clashed on policy and Mr Trump frequently bashed Mr McConnell in public, famously referring to him as an "old crow".

While the endorsement on Wednesday was a sign of reconciliation, Mr McConnell also said that was it was based on Mr Trump having "earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee".

In his statement, Mr McConnell said that, during the Trump administration, the two had worked together on tax reform and on creating a conservative majority on the Supreme Court.

"I look forward to the opportunity of switching from playing defence against the terrible policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared towards making a real difference in improving the lives of the American people," he said.

Last month Mr McConnell announced he would step down as longest-serving Senate Republican leader in US history, saying it was time to "move on to life's next chapter".

He also noted that the Republican party has shifted in recent years toward Mr Trump's more isolationist and populist stance and away from the ideology held by Mr McConnell and other traditional conservatives, one that emphasised US global leadership.

"I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time," he said. "I have many faults, but misunderstanding politics is not one."