Few would argue there's any love lost between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and former President Donald Trump. But few would also argue that McConnell isn't politically astute. Which brings us to Wednesday morning's announcement: McConnell has formally endorsed Trump for president. 

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell endorsed Donald Trump for president Wednesday, a remarkable turnaround from the onetime critic who blamed the former president for “disgraceful” acts in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack but now supports his bid to return to the White House.

McConnell, who was the last top GOP leader in Congress to fall in line with Trump, declared his support in a short statement after Super Tuesday wins pushed the GOP front-runner closer to the party nomination.

The two men had not spoken since 2020 when McConnell declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner of the that year’s presidential election. But more recently, their teams had reopened talks about an endorsement.

“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” McConnell said in the statement.

McConnell's endorsement comes on the heels of his announcement last Wednesday that he would be stepping down from a leadership role in the Senate in November. 

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While endorsements aren't the be-all-end-all in politics, they remain significant, and the fact that McConnell, even with the enmity evident between him and Trump, has vocally buried the political hatchet and announced his support for Trump's candidacy, coupled with former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley's suspension of her campaign, signals that the Republican Establishment has decided to circle the GOP wagons and get behind the presumptive nominee. 

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