Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell announced on Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald Trump.
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00:00Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate every day.
00:07In between, I've been humbled by the trust they placed in me
00:12to do their business right here.
00:17Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime.
00:27I will not seek this honor an eighth time.
00:32My current term in the Senate will be my last.
00:36Thanks to Ronald Reagan's determination,
00:38the work of strengthening America's hard power
00:41was well underway when I arrived in the Senate.
00:46But since then, we've allowed that power to atrophy.
00:51And today, a dangerous world threatens to outpace
00:55the work of rebuilding it.
00:59So lest any of our colleagues still doubt my intentions
01:03for the remainder of my term,
01:07I have some unfinished business to attend to.
01:10Regardless, regardless of the political storms
01:13that may wash over this chamber during the time I have remaining,
01:20I assure our colleagues that I will depart
01:22with great hope for the endurance,
01:25the endurance of the Senate as an institution.
01:31There are any number of reasons for pessimism,
01:35but the strength of the Senate is not one of them.
01:43This chamber is still the haven
01:47where the political minority can require debate.
01:53It's still the crucible in which jurists are tested
01:56for their fidelity to upholding the Constitution
01:59and laws as they were written.
02:03The Senate is still equipped for work of great consequence.
02:12And to the disappointment of my critics,
02:15I'm still here on the job.
02:21Mr. President.
02:24Senator North Carolina.
02:25Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent
02:27that the members and staff and spectators in the gallery
02:31be allowed to applaud for a period not to exceed 30 seconds.
02:36Is there objection?