'Well, there's a lot to happen between now and '24.'
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday that he would support Donald Trump for president if Trump won the GOP nomination in 2024.
McConnell made the remark during an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier. McConnell dodged when asked whether he thought Trump would be the nominee in 2024, saying that he thinks four Republican senators may be running and that "a lot could happen" in the next four years.
Yet when Baier asked whether McConnell would back Trump if he won the GOP nomination, McConnell replied, "The nominee of the party? Absolutely."
McConnell's comments come after the Kentucky Republican blamed Trump for the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
McConnell voted to acquit Trump on the one impeachment charge of inciting violence based on a technicality. But in a speech after the vote, McConnell said Trump was responsible for the attack.
"Former President Trump's actions preceding the riot were a disgraceful dereliction of duty," McConnell said on Feb. 13.
He added, "There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day."
It's unclear whether Trump will run again in 2024.
Trump has told his allies that he wants to run, but has left wiggle room to decide against another bid, Politico reported in December, before the insurrection.
If Trump does choose to run, he would start as the presumptive favorite, with polls showing he still has broad support from the GOP base.
A majority of GOP primary voters would vote for Trump in the 2024 GOP primary, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll released Feb. 16.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
