Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a press conference Friday multiple times that he does not like President Donald Trump’s tweeting and “extra discussion.”
“I’m not a great fan of daily tweets. What I am a fan of, is what he’s been actually doing,” McConnell said.
The comments echoed what he told the Washington Post in an interview on Thursday. McConnell told the Post that he is judging Trump by his actions rather than his words, especially on Twitter. McConnell cited Trump’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and his lack of action on lifting sanctions on Russia.
“I like what he’s doing more than what he’s saying frequently,” McConnell told the Post. “So I kind of draw a distinction between his desire to comment on a lot of things, seemingly on a daily basis, and what we’re actually trying to accomplish here.”
McConnell also spoke on what he called Democrats’ “futile gesture” in trying to slow down and block Trump Cabinet picks and reiterated the Senate’s desire to repeal and replace Obamacare. In response to a question on how soon Obamacare would be repealed, McConnell replied, “as soon as we have the votes.”
McConnell has repeatedly called for Senate Democrats to stop obstructing Cabinet picks and Gorsuch. Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin March 20, but several Democrats have said they plan to require Gorsuch to clear a 60-vote threshold in order to be confirmed by the full Senate. That would require another eight votes in addition to the 52 Republican senators.