Trump lashes out at McConnell and wife over government funding bill

Former president Donald Trump took to social media to post a tirade about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Kentucky Republican’s wife, who served as Mr Trump’s transportation secretary, after Mr McConnell declined to block a government funding bill.

Writing on his bespoke Truth Social platform (which he is contractually obligated to use despite once again having access to his Twitter account), Mr Trump suggested that Democrats “must have something really big” on Mr McConnell because the Senate GOP leader refused to stop passage of the omnibus appropriations bill that President Joe Biden is expected to sign in the coming days, which the twice-impeached ex-president called a “horrendous ‘All Democrat, All the Way’ OMINOUS Bill”.

He also repeated a false claim that the budget legislation gives “zero” funding for US border security, even though top Republicans such as Texas Senator John Cornyn have boasted that the GOP was able to secure funding for 300 new Border Patrol agent positions, $70 million for enhanced border security at ports of entry, and $800 million in funding to help border communities deal with increased numbers of migrants.

House Republicans, who will take control of the lower chamber when the 118th Congress convenes on 3 January, have argued that their Senate counterparts should have forced the Democratic majority in both chambers to settle for a continuing resolution that would have maintained last year’s funding levels for another few weeks so the incoming GOP majority could have tried to force through language that would have blocked any Department of Justice personnel from investigating Mr Trump or his allies.

Mr Trump echoed those complaints, writing that the legislation “fully funds the corrupt ‘Justice’ department,” as well as the FBI and the special counsel charged with overseeing criminal probes into Mr Trump’s alleged unlawful retention of national defence information, obstruction of justice, and the efforts to overturn the 2020 election which brought about the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

He also suggested, without evidence, that the bill is “a massive giveaway and capitulation to China,” and claimed it would make former transport secretary Elaine Chao — Mr McConnell’s spouse — “so happy,” though he referred to her by the racist nickname he has used for in recent months, “Coco Chow”.

The disgraced ex-president also argued in a separate post that the incoming GOP House majority could have made the legislation “much, much, much better”.

“Just another win for the Democrats, Mitch, that wouldn’t have happened if ‘Trump’ were President!” he wrote.