Overview

• McConnell labeled Vice President J.D. Vance and other Defense Department officials as “rabid isolationists” who have “not read history.”
• He praised President Trump’s recent missile strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, commending the “decisive action” taken by U.S. servicemembers.
• McConnell said he is deliberately shaping Trump’s foreign policy in public, aiming to convert him to an interventionist “peace-through-strength” doctrine.
• He has opposed the confirmations of isolationist-leaning Trump nominees including Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard and Elbridge Colby.
• His campaign highlights a broader GOP rift over U.S. support for Ukraine, engagement in the Middle East and lessons from pre-World War II isolationism.