Former President Donald Trump blasted the 13 House Republicans who voted in favor of President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill at the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner on Monday.
New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, the only party turncoat present, was reportedly “visibly shaken” by Trump’s lengthy speech roasting the GOP group that pushed the bill through with a 228-206 vote, despite the revolt of six progressive democrats.
Malliotakis tweeted a video explaining that she refused to vote with the AOC-led Squad and had cast it against “advancing the socialist spending spree.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell proved less easy to intimidate. Trump referred to him as an “Old Crow” over his support of the bill and McConnell spun the jeer into a positive.
“Actually, it’s quite an honor,” he told CNN the same day. “Old Crow is Henry Clay’s favorite bourbon.”
In a statement released Tuesday, Trump questioned, “Why is it that Old Crow Mitch McConnell voted for a terrible Democrat Socialist Infrastructure Plan, and induced others in his Party to do likewise, when he was incapable of getting a great Infrastructure Plan wanting to be put forward by me and the Republican Party?”
The 45th president noted that McConnell repeatedly said that he was unable to get the bill passed, and that he had to “go around him” to get construction started on the southern border wall.
“All of the Infrastructure money, $2 Trillion, would have gone into real Infrastructure (roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, etc),” he criticized. “Also, why did Mitch give the Democrats a two-month hiatus, just long enough for them to figure it all out, when they were completely ready to fold?”
McConnell has previously bashed Trump over his claims about the 2020 presidential election and blamed him for inciting the Capitol riot in January. The former president said the top senator was a “dumb son of a b***h” in April.