Overview

• Speaking to the Lexington Herald-Leader, McConnell compared today’s climate to the 1930s and criticized Trump-era tariffs, invoking the Smoot-Hawley precedent.
• He said the U.S. is underprepared as North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Iran’s proxies move closer together in opposition to Washington.
• His interview coincided with Xi Jinping hosting Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un in Beijing, a display he cited as evidence of shifting power dynamics.
• On Ukraine, he urged avoiding an outcome he phrased as “Russia wins, America loses,” arguing the stakes extend far beyond the battlefield.
• He contended that roughly half of U.S. Ukraine-support funds have been spent domestically to modernize industrial bases in 38 states, and noted he plans to retire at the end of his term next year.