Despite his endorsement of Donald Trump, McConnell continues to take aim at trends led or fostered by the former president.
In recent weeks, McConnell has ramped up critiques of Republicans who favor slashing or eliminating aid to Ukraine, instituting new tariffs, and cozying up to illiberal world leaders.
In his latest warning, the GOP Leader directed remarks toward members of his own party who have praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – whose regime has leverage antidemocratic means to stay in power.
"I've spoken before about Hungary's decade-long drift into the orbit of the west's most determined adversaries," he said. "It's an alarming trend, and nobody — certainly not the American conservatives who increasingly form a cult of personality around Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — can pretend not to see it."
At press briefings, McConnell has repeatedly declined to link Trump to the "alarming trends" he laments, even avoiding saying Trump's name at all in public comments.
The Kentucky lawmaker will be stepping down from his leadership role this year, but has vowed to continue urging colleagues to resist the isolationist wing of his party.
