Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is in a celebratory mood after Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced he is stepping down as GOP leader in November.
“We’ve now 86’d: McCarthy, McDaniel, McConnell,” Gaetz wrote in a post on X/Twitter. “Better days are ahead for the Republican Party.”
McDaniel previously said in a statement that she would step down as the chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) March 8. McCarthy was ousted as speaker last October in an effort led by Gaetz.
McConnell,82, announced he is stepping down from GOP leadership Wednesday after 17 years at the head of the party in the Senate.
“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter, so I stand before you today, Mr. President and my colleagues, to say this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate,” McConnell said.
McConnell’s announcement signals a larger shift underway in the GOP away from traditional Republican values towards a more Trumpian style of governance.
