Mitch McConnell: podcast appearances and interviews

Addison Mitchell McConnell III, born on February 20, 1942, is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky since 1985. He is a member of the Republican Party and has held the record as the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history. McConnell served as the leader of the Senate Republican Conference from 2007 to 2025, including two terms as minority leader and one as majority leader. During his tenure, he was the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. McConnell has held conservative political positions, although early in his career he was known as a pragmatist and a moderate Republican. He led opposition to stricter campaign finance laws, notably resulting in the Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC, which altered the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2010. He frequently used the filibuster to block presidential initiatives and judicial nominees during the Obama administration. Under his leadership during the first Trump administration, the Senate passed significant legislation including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and confirmed a record number of federal appeals court judges. McConnell invoked the nuclear option to eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations, facilitating confirmations of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. While supportive of most of Trump's policies, he criticized Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and voted to acquit him in the second impeachment trial. McConnell was recognized by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015, 2019, and 2023. He announced his intention to step down as Senate Republican Leader in 2025 and planned to retire from the Senate in 2026 due to health concerns.