Mitch McConnell announces he will step down as GOP leader

IMPACT OF THE WORLD THAT WE WILL ALL INEVITABLY LEAVE BEHIND. I TURNED 82 LAST WEEK. THE END OF MY CONTRIBUTIONS ARE CLOSER THAN I WOULD PREFER. MY CAREER IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE BEGAN AMIDST THE REAGAN REVOLUTION. THE TRUTH IS, WHEN I GOT HERE, I WAS JUST HAPPY IF ANYBODY REMEMBERED MY NAME. PRESIDENT REAGAN CALLED ME MITCH O'DONNELL. CLOSE ENOUGH, I THOUGHT. MY LIFE -- MY WIFE ELAINE AND I GOT MARRIED ON PRESIDENT REAGAN'S BIRTHDAY, FEBRUARY 6. IT'S PROBABLY NOT THE MOST ROMANTIC THING TO ADMIT, BUT REAGAN MEANT A LOT TO BOTH OF US. FOR 31 YEARS, ELAINE HAS BEEN THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. AND I'M ETERNALLY GRATEFUL TO HAVE HER BY MY SIDE. I THINK BACK TO MY FIRST DAYS IN THE SENATE WITH DEEP APPRECIATION FOR THE TIME THAT HELPED SHAPED MY VIEW OF THE WORLD. I'M UNCONFLICTED ABOUT THE GOOD WITHIN OUR COUNTRY AND THE IRREPLACEABLE ROLE WE PLAY AS THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD. IT'S WHY I WORK SO HARD TO GET THE NATIONAL SECURITY PACKAGE PASSED. BELIEVE ME, I KNOW THE POLITICS WITHIN MY PARTY AT THIS PARTICULAR MOMENT IN TIME. I HAVE MANY FAULTS. MISUNDERSTANDING POLITICS IS NOT ONE OF THEM. THAT SAID, I BELIEVE MORE STRONGLY THAN EVER THAT MESH'S GLOBAL LEADERSHIP IS ESSENTIAL TO PRESERVING THE SHINING CITY ON A HILL THAT RONALD REAGAN DISCUSSED. AS LONG AS I'M DRAWING BREATH ON THIS EARTH, I WILL DEFEND AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM. SO AS I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT WHEN I WOULD DELIVER SOME NEWS TO THE SENATE, I ALWAYS IMAGINED A MOMENT WHEN I HAD TOTAL CLARITY AND PEACE ABOUT THE SUNSET OF MY WORK. A MOMENT WHEN I'M CERTAIN I HAVE HELPED PRESERVE THE IDEALS I SO STRONGLY BELIEVE. THAT DAY ARRIVED TODAY. MY GOALS, WHEN I WAS NARROWLY ELECTED TO THE SENATE BACK IN 1984, WERE FAIRLY MODEST. DO A GOOD JOB FOR THE PEOPLE OF KENTUCKY AND CONVINCE THEM BY DOING SO, THEY MIGHT REHIRE ME FOR A SECOND TERM. THAT WAS IT. THAT WAS THE PLAN. IF YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD ME 40 YEARS LATER THAT I WOULD STAND BEFORE YOU AS THE LONGER SERVING SENATE LEADER IN AMERICAN HISTORY, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YOU LOST YOUR MIND. I HAVE THE HONOR OF REPRESENTING KENTUCKY IN THE SENATE LONGER THAN ANYONE ELSE IN OUR STATE'S HISTORY. I JUST NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED -- NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED THAT HAPPENING. WHEN I ARRIVED HERE IN 1984 AT 42. I'M FILLED WITH HEARTFELT GRATITUDE AND HUMILITY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. BUT NOW IT'S 2024. I'M NOW 82. TO EVERYTHING, THERE IS A SEASON AND A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN. TO SERVE KENTUCKY IN THE SENATE HAS BEEN THE HONOR OF MY LIFE. TO LEAD MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES HAS BEEN THE HIGHEST PRIVILEGE. BUT ONE OF LIFE'S MOST UNDERAPPRECIATED TALENTS IS TO KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON TO LIFE'S NEXT CHAPTER. SO I STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY, MR. PRESIDENT AND MY COLLEAGUES, TO SAY THIS WILL BE MY LAST TERM AS REPUBLICAN LEADER OF THE SENATE. I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE ANY TIME SOON. HOWEVER, I WILL COMPLETE MY JOB MY COLLEAGUES HAVE GIVEN ME UNTIL WE SELECT A NEW LEADER IN NOVEMBER AND THEY TAKE THE HELM NEXT JANUARY. I WILL FINISH THE JOB THE PEOPLE OF KENTUCKY HIRED ME TO DO AS WELL. FROM A DIFFERENT SEAT. I'M ACTUALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. IT'S TIME FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT ANOTHER SEASON. I LOVE THE SENATE. IT'S BEEN MY LIFE. THERE MAY BE MORE DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THIS BODY THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY, BUT I DOUBT THERE WERE ANY WITH ANY MORE ADMIRATION FOR THE SENATE. AFTER ALL THIS TIME, I STILL GET A THRILL WALKING INTO THE CAPITOL AND ESPECIALLY ON THIS VENERABLE FLOOR KNOWING THAT WE, EACH OF US, HAVE THE HONOR TO REPRESENT OUR STATES AND DO THE IMPORTANT WORK OF OUR COUNTRY. BUT FATHER TIME REMAINS UNDEFEATED. I AM NO LONGER THE YOUNG MAN SITTING IN THE BACK HOPING COLLEAGUES WOULD REMEMBER MY NAME. IT'S TIME FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP. AS HENRY CLAY SAID IN THIS VERY BODY IN 1850, THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES WAS NOT MADE MERELY FOR THE GENERATION THAT THEN EXISTED BUT FOR POSTERITY, UNLIMITED, UNDEFINED, ENDLESS, PERPETUAL POSTERITY. SO TIME ROLLS ON. THERE WILL BE A NEW CUSTODIAN OF THIS GREAT INSTITUTION NEXT YEAR. WON'T SURPRISE YOU TO KNOW I INTEND TO TURN THIS JOB OVER TO A REPUBLICAN MAJORITY LEADER. I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN MY CONFERENCE TO CHOOSE MY REPLACEMENT AND LEAD OUR COUNTRY FORWARD. THERE WILL BE OTHER TIMES TO REMINISCE. I'M IMMENSELY PROUD OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS I HAVE PLAYED SOME ROLE IN OBTAINING FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. TODAY IS NOT THE DAY TO DISCUSS ALL OF THAT, BECAUSE AS I SAID EARLIER, I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE ANY TIME SOON. THERE ARE MANY CHALLENGES WE MUST MEET TO DELIVER FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. AND EACH WILL HAVE MY FULL EFFORT AND ATTENTION. I STILL HAVE ENOUGH GAS IN MY TANK TO THOROUGHLY DISAPPOINT MY CRITICS. AND I INTEND TO DO SO WITH ALL THE ENTHUSIASM WITH WHICH THEY HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED. SO TO MY COLLEAGUES, THANK YOU FOR ENTRUSTING ME WITH OUR SUCCESS. IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO WORK WOULD EACH OF YOU. THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF TIME TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE IN GREATER DETA

Channel: MSNBC

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Keywords: msnbc, MSNBC, Specials, NBC News, nbc, news, news coverage, breaking news, us news, world news, politics, current events, top stories, pop culture, business, health, political news, msnbc live, Mitch McConnell, Mitch McConnell steps down, Senator McConnell, Leader McConnell, Senate, Senate Republicans

Id: HmMBXA-3rPs

Length: 8min 32sec (512 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 28 2024