Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was met with boos and chants of “RETIRE” and “DITCH MITCH” at a community event in his home state of Kentucky over the weekend.
McConnell was speaking at the 143rd annual Fancy Farm picnic, a summer tradition in Kentucky since 1881, when he was occasionally completely blotted out by the booing and jeering, which was documented on camera.
Despite the audience’s disapproval, the 81-year-old political professional persisted.
The 81-year-old congressman remarked, “This is my 28th Fancy Farm and I want to assure you it is not my last. The people of this state have chosen me seven times to do this job, and I want you to know how grateful I am.”
The annual celebration is sponsored by St. Jerome, an adjacent Catholic church, and takes place in the southwestern community of Fancy Farm.
“So, we know that the political speaking attracts folks from all over the state of Kentucky to the Picnic but it’s the 19,000 pounds of BBQ that makes our picnic special. We once held the Guinness Book of World Records for the Largest One Day Picnic and BBQ. You won’t find any better BBQ pork and mutton anywhere,” the church’s website claims.
Former President Donald Trump has frequently criticized McConnell, releasing a video of the protests to his Truth Social platform.
“I AGREE!” Trump penned in a hilarious post. “BOOOOO—RETIRE, RETIRE, RETIRE—BOOOOO!!!”
On Saturday, during his speech at the Silver Elephant Gala in Columbia, South Carolina, Trump also publicly attacked the minority leader. In addition to claiming that McConnell is not doing enough to defend himself against the Biden administration’s legal assault, he speculated that the opposition may have incriminating information about McConnell.
“These guys, what they’re doing with this election interference, and the Senate has to step up and do something. The House is doing a lot of things,” Trump said during the jubilant gathering. “But the Senate under perhaps the worst leader in the history of our country running the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has to step up and do something.”
“I’m telling you, Lindsey, they have something on Mitch McConnell. There’s no way that he’s doing this. They’ve got something on Mitch McConnell,” Trump remarked, pointing to Senator Lindsey Graham (of South Carolina), who was present.
Trump: What they’re doing with this election interference and the Senate needs to step up. The House is doing a lot of things… They have something on Mitch McConnell. There’s no way he’s doing this. They got something on Mitch McConnell pic.twitter.com/3zEISyKGa7
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 6, 2023
The calls for McConnell to resign come at a time when the 80-year-old lawmaker has been experiencing typical aging-related health problems.
Due to an accident at an exclusive dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, D.C., he was hospitalized earlier in the year and missed a significant amount of time in the Senate.
In a terrifying incident that occurred one month ago, he lost all control while speaking to reporters from the podium and had to be assisted by his senator colleagues. However, this made him appear to be less qualified for the position.
CNN interviewed attendees at the Fancy Farm picnic where Mitch McConnell spoke, and one youthful voter stated, “I’m against older candidates, including the current president, Mitch McConnell.” I believe they’ve reached the end of their political careers, and I believe they’d be excellent for supporting candidates now. I believe politics is more of a young man’s game today.”
McConnell and Trump share a tumultuous history. While the two developed a professional relationship while Trump was in the White House, Trump has assailed McConnell on a regular basis ever since he left office.
In February 2021, after McConnell reprimanded him over the January 6 Capitol disturbance, Trump proclaimed, “Mitch is a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack, and if Republican Senators are going to stay with him, they will not win again.”
Trump began assaulting Elaine Chao, a former member of his cabinet who is also McConnell’s wife, on a frequent basis last year, referring to her as “China-loving wife, Coco Chow.”
Sources informed NBC’s Garrett Haake and Sahil Kapur late last month that McConnell fell on July 14 while exiting a plane at Reagan National Airport:
McConnell, 81, was not seriously hurt, and was seen at the Capitol later that day, where he interacted with at least one reporter.
The July 14 fall, which has not been previously reported, occurred after the flight out of Washington was canceled while everyone was on board. McConnell, R-Ky., who was a passenger on the plane, had a “face plant,” someone who was on the plane at the time but did not witness the fall told NBC News. That passenger also said they spoke to another passenger who helped tend to McConnell after the fall.
The Senate’s top Republican has also recently been using a wheelchair as a precautionary measure when navigating crowded airports, according to a source familiar with his practices.
The incident occurred several months after McConnell suffered a concussion after collapsing in a Washington hotel.