After the State of the Union Address in Washington DC on February 4, 2020, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell huddles with President Donald Trump. Mario Tama/Getty Images
According to a new book, Mitch McConnell wasn't surprised by Joe Biden winning over Donald Trump.
McConnell told his staff that there were many Maalox moments over the four years.
McConnell was careful in his communication with Biden, while Trump challenged the results.
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Many Republicans were shocked that Joe Biden had defeated Donald Trump after he was declared the US President elect by major news outlets in November.
Insider was able to obtain an early copy of the book by Robert Costa and Bob Woodward, Washington Post journalists.
McConnell was a Trump governing partner and managed to shepherd through three Supreme Court justices and scores appeals judges. However, McConnell had to deal with Trump's unpredictable presidency, which could destroy a piece legislation just as quickly as it could be sold to conservatives.
He was watching closely the Georgia Senate race contests, which would decide whether Republicans control the upper chamber or give control to the Democrats. The senator decided to let Trump have some breathing room as the election results were still being absorbed, as Woodward and Costa wrote in "Peril."
McConnell, despite being part of the same political party, told his staff that President Trump's actions could sometimes lead to stressful predicaments. According to the book.
According to reports, he told his staff that there were many Maalox moments over the past four years. He was referring to the medication commonly prescribed to relieve stress-induced heartburn.
McConnell continued to work behind the scenes with Trump to keep him from calling him. This was to avoid upsetting the president who wanted to remain in his ranks.
Continue the story
The book stated that McConnell was concerned about Trump's reaction and the possibility of Trump retaliating negatively to the hotly contested Georgia Senate election runoff. He also stated that he didn't want Biden to call him, as a serial phone user. Trump was certain to be furious at any call from Biden, and he set off unwanted calls asking him if he believed Biden had been elected president.
McConnell reached out privately to GOP Senator John Cornyn of Texas in order to talk with Sen. Chris Coons from Delaware, a confidant of Biden, about a "backchannel" that would allow the then-majority leader to communicate with the president-elect.
Cornyn stated that the senators were in a "dangerous situation" because Trump might have believed that the men were "cutting an agreement behind his back to remove him," which would make him "even irrational."
McConnell, who was publicly supporting Trump's right of contesting the election results at that point, pointed out that Trump's campaign targeted ballots in swing states where he narrowly lost, including Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
McConnell stated that "Obviously, no state has yet certified their electoral results." "We have at most one or two states on track for a recount, and I believe that the president may be facing legal challenges in at least five of these states."
He said, "President Trump is 100% in his rights to examine allegations of irregularities and weigh all his legal options."
The president and his legal team filed more than 40 unsuccessful lawsuits related to the election in different courts throughout the country.
McConnell rebuked Trump on the Senate floor after Trump's second Senate impeachment case for "incitement to insurrection" in connection with his role in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot. McConnell later stated that he would vote for Trump in 2024, if he was the GOP nominee.
However, there is no love between them. McConnell continues to be insulted by Trump on a regular basis. Trump, now a minority leader, is focusing on regaining control over the Senate in 2022.
Business Insider has the original article.
