Trump is mocking McConnell, McCain behind their backs

Sens. Mitch McConnell and John McCain have a quick chat.

(Image credit: DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

published 27 September 2017

President Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the Republican-controlled Senate, which once again failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act this week. Trump's ire is particularly targeted toward Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who helped put the nail in the GOP health-care bill's coffin.

In addition to his public airing of grievances, Trump has reportedly taken to mocking McConnell and McCain in private, too. Trump physically mocks McConnell's "slumped shoulders" and "lethargic body language" and mimes McCain by "imitating the thumbs-down of his historic health-care vote," Axios reports. Trump also reportedly mocked McConnell as "weak" at a private dinner on Monday, Politico reports, adding that the president also "called McCain 'disgraceful' on health care and mocked his thumbs-down gesture on the Senate floor against a GOP proposal in July, complete with a facial expression, attendees said."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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