Mitch McConnell Under Fire After Reported Trump-Driven Flip on Border Bill

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives for a news conference following a closed-door lunch meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol January 17, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing criticism amid reports that a proceed deal linking border protection policy and foreign aid could be off the table as Donald Trump wants to focus on immigration for his presidential campaign.

McConnell held a meeting with Republican senators to discuss that the politics surrounding a $106 billion deal put forward by President Joe Biden and negotiated with lawmakers for months, which would see military aid go to Ukraine and Israel as well as increased border protection, has now changed.

According to quotes reported by PunchBowl News and CNN, McConnell is alleged to have said at the meeting that discussions around securing the border have flipped for the Republicans, and that the party should now not do anything that may “undermine” Trump, the GOP’s presumed 2024 presidential nominee.

Trump is once again pushing hardline immigration promises as part of his latest presidential campaign, and has previously suggested not agreeing to a deal on border policy unless Republicans get “EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions & Millions of people” illegally entering the country. Trump has also repeatedly used the high levels of illegal immigration at the southern border to attack Biden ahead of the presumed election rematch in November.

“When we started this, the border united us and Ukraine divided us,” McConnell told Senate Republicans, according to reports. “The politics on this have changed.”

McConnell is also said to have referred to Trump as “the nominee” and noted the former president wants to center his 2024 campaign on immigration. “We don’t want to do anything to undermine him,” McConnell added. “We’re in a quandary.”

McConnell has now been criticized amid reports he is willing to throw out the border security reforms which had been previously negotiated with Democrats to go along with Ukraine funding in order to appease Trump and his campaign.

Mathew Sheffiled, an editor and publisher of Flux and former pollster, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Mitch McConnell will always put his power over the country. He and other Republicans have screeched for months about a ‘border crisis’ but now are trying too prolong it.

“When the chips are down, McConnell will always choose cowardice and capitulation to Trump.”

Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett wrote: “Republicans are openly saying they don’t want to address the border issue because Trump wants to run on it. The crisis at the border has been manufactured by Republicans for decades.”

Joanne Carducci, better known as the popular political social media account JoJo from Jerz, posted on X: “Mitch McConnell doesn’t want to ‘undermine’ the man he said was responsible for January 6th. The man who hurls hateful slurs at his wife. The man who lost his party the House, the Senate & the Oval. He’s using the Senate as a campaign tool for a madman.”

Adam Kinzinger, a former GOP congressman and frequent Trump critic, said: “The Republicans DO NOT CARE about America… they care about power. If you’re a Republican elected and you aren’t speaking out against this travesty, you are complicit.”

McConnell has been contacted for comment via email.

McConnell, who has long considered funding for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion a priority, is also considering splitting the deal for negotiations surrounding border security as some Senate Republicans oppose it being linked along with military aid.

“I think the border portion is dead,” one Republican senator who was at the Wednesday meeting told The Hill.

Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, praised the meeting with GOP lawmakers as talks continue as to how to pass the package to include aid to Ukraine and Israel, as well as increase border protection.

“It was one of the most thoughtful discussions, sincere emotional discussions, we’ve had. I think that we will have a conference too divided on Ukraine, but we’re united in securing the border,” Marshall told CNN.

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