President seemed to question a well-documented part of Sen. Mitch McConnell's life 鈥� his childhood battle with polio 鈥� after the Kentucky Republican opposed vaccine skeptic Thursday as the nation's top health official.
Trump attacked McConnell's mental acuity and said he had 鈥渘o idea鈥� if the senator had polio. The Oval Office barrage exposed the icy relationship between the Republican president and the former Senate GOP leader. They worked in tandem on tax cuts and judicial appointments during Trump's first term, but their relationship soured after McConnell blamed Trump for in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack and the president made personal comments about McConnell and his family.
McConnell's office did not immediately respond to the president's attack Thursday. Earlier, the senator referred to himself as a survivor of childhood polio and talked about the , in explaining his opposition to Kennedy's confirmation as Trump's health secretary.
鈥淚 will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles,鈥� McConnell said in the statement.
McConnell was the only 鈥渘o鈥� vote against Kennedy among Senate Republicans. He also voted against Trump鈥檚 picks for the Pentagon chief and director of national intelligence.
McConnell supported various other Trump nominees, heaping praise on them, but the president focused on the senator's votes against other nominees for top administration posts.
鈥淗e votes against almost everything now,鈥� the president said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a, you know, very bitter guy.鈥�
Trump commented earlier that he felt sorry for McConnell and said the Kentuckian had wanted to stay on as Senate GOP leader. He said McConnell clung to power because of his fundraising prowess, which the president said anyone could do in such a leadership position.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not equipped mentally,鈥� the president said. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 equipped 10 years ago, mentally, in my opinion. He let the Republican Party go to hell.鈥�
Trump characterized McConnell's vote against Kennedy as actually a vote against him.
When a reporter mentioned to Trump that McConnell had polio, the president replied: 鈥滻 don鈥檛 know anything about he had polio.鈥�
When asked if he was doubting McConnell's polio battle, Trump said: 鈥淚 have no idea if he had polio. All I can tell you about him is that he shouldn鈥檛 have been leader."
McConnell was diagnosed with 鈥渁cute poliomyelitis鈥� when he was 2 years old and was treated at the polio rehabilitation facility in Warm Springs, Georgia, founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Doctors there prescribed a strict regime of physical therapy for two years, including the instruction to not let the boy walk as they thought it would impede his recovery. Instead, his mother administered physical therapy four times a day, 45 minutes at a time. After two years, doctors said they believed he could lead a normal life.
But McConnell had difficulty running, which limited his ability to play sports. And in 1985, he started to notice signs of weakness in his polio-afflicted left leg. Problems with the leg have become more acute and led to several falls, including one that caused a serious concussion. The latest issues with his leg align with symptoms of what doctors have determined is 鈥減ost-polio syndrome.鈥�
The famously guarded McConnell when talking about how 鈥渓ucky鈥� he was to have a mother 鈥渨ho was determined to see me walk again.鈥� He discussed the lifelong guiding principles he attributes to his mother 鈥� tenacity, hard work and not giving up.
鈥滿y mother instilled all that in me before I was 4 years old and I think it鈥檚 been a guiding principle in how I lead my life,鈥� he said.
On Thursday, McConnell said he made his stand against Kennedy's confirmation because the country deserves a health leader 鈥渨ho is willing to acknowledge without qualification the efficacy of life-saving vaccines.鈥� Trump announced that Kennedy will lead a new commission on making America healthy again.
Always the pragmatist, McConnell had advice for Kennedy: "As he takes office, I sincerely hope Mr. Kennedy will choose not to sow further doubt and division but to restore trust in our public health institutions,鈥� the senator said.
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Associated Press writer Michael Tackett contributed to this report.
Bruce Schreiner, The Associated Press
