In 'The Price of Power,' McConnell says Trump's MAGA movement is 'completely wrong'

For years, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's distaste for erstwhile President Donald Trump has been characterized done calculated restraint, but successful a caller curriculum vitae connected McConnell group to beryllium released adjacent week, McConnell criticizes nan erstwhile president successful nary uncertain terms, astatine varying points calling Trump "stupid," "ill-tempered," a "narcissist" and a "despicable quality being."

With little than 2 weeks until an Election Day that could spot Trump return to nan White House, McConnell, who has served arsenic his party's leader successful nan Senate for a record-breaking 17 years, says Trump's MAGA activity has "done a batch of damage" to nan Republican Party and turned it into thing that erstwhile President Ronald Reagan "wouldn't recognize."

ABC News has obtained an beforehand transcript of nan book "The Price of Power" by Associated Press Deputy Washington Bureau Chief Michael Tackett. The book offers a thorough curen of McConnell's life starting pinch his early polio affliction and ending pinch his looming departure from activity aft nan upcoming election. His exit from his position atop his convention is colored by his fracture from Trump and nan guidance he has taken nan party.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) waves arsenic he walks astatine nan U.S. Capitol earlier nan presence of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky for a gathering pinch Congressional leaders, successful Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, 2024.

Leah Millis/Reuters

"I cognize I can't power nan wide Republican Party, but I person power here, and I'm going to usage it because I deliberation this is important to nan country, and I deliberation nan MAGA activity is wholly wrong," McConnell says successful nan book.

"The Price of Power" specifications McConnell's expanding dissatisfaction pinch Trump starring up to nan 2020 predetermination and successful nan days that followed.

After nan election, McConnell said, "It's not conscionable nan Democrats who are counting nan days" until Trump near office, and that Trump's efforts to raise unfounded electoral challenges and allege a rigged predetermination "only underscores nan bully judgement of nan American people. They've had conscionable capable of nan misrepresentations, nan outright lies almost connected a regular basis, and they fired him."

Still, Trump heads into Nov. 5 pinch an endorsement from McConnell.

"Whatever I whitethorn person said astir President Trump pales successful comparison to what JD Vance, Lindsey Graham, and others person said astir him, but we are each connected nan aforesaid squad now," McConnell said successful a connection to ABC News.

'Detached from reality'

McConnell called Trump's behaviour aft nan 2020 predetermination "detached from reality."

"His post-election behaviour was progressively detached from reality," McConnell says successful nan book "and it seems to maine he made up this alternate beingness of really things happened."

The book specifications McConnell's time connected Jan. 6, 2021, including nan reside he gave connected nan Senate level urging senators not to reason nan electoral count conscionable earlier nan enclosure was evacuated.

McConnell said he believed what Trump did connected Jan. 6 was an "impeachable offense."

"I'm not astatine each conflicted astir whether what nan president did is an impeachable offense. I deliberation it is. Urging an insurrection and group attacking nan Capitol arsenic a nonstop result... is astir arsenic adjacent to an impeachable discourtesy arsenic you tin imagine, pinch nan imaginable objection of possibly being an supplier for different country."

On Feb. 13, 2021, McConnell gave a level reside successful which he laid blasted for nan insurrection connected Trump.

"They did this because they'd been fed chaotic falsehoods by nan astir powerful man connected Earth because he was angry. He mislaid an election. Former President Trump's actions preceded nan riot successful a disgraceful dereliction of duty. . . . There's nary question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking nan events of nan day. No mobility astir it," he said connected nan level that day.

Still, McConnell would yet spell connected to ballot against impeachment. And later, aft nan Republican statement selected Trump arsenic its nominee successful 2024, he besides endorsed him.

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A governmental calculation

It was a governmental calculation McConnell made that differentiated him from immoderate of Trump's much vocal opponents for illustration Rep. Liz Cheney, who mislaid her superior mostly because she dared to situation Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) walks to his agency from nan Senate Chamber astatine nan Capitol connected Sept. 25, 2024 successful Washington, D.C.

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

"Where I differed pinch Liz is I didn't spot really blowing yourself up and taking yourself disconnected nan playing section was adjuvant to getting nan statement backmost to wherever she and I astir apt some deliberation it ought to be," McConnell told Tackett, later adding, "I deliberation her benignant of self-sacrificial enactment possibly sells books but it isn't going to person an effect changing nan party. That's wherever we differed."

Even earlier nan 2020 election, McConnell's narration pinch Trump was a rocky one.

As Trump began rising successful prominence arsenic a imaginable nominee successful 2016, McConnell described him arsenic "this astir different nominee."

"What I tried to do, since I had candidates successful different states dealing pinch nan Trump facet differently, was to support my rima shut, because I didn't want to go an rumor successful a fixed Senate race," McConnell told his oral historiographer soon aft nan election, according to nan book.

The book specifications nan behind-the-scenes narration betwixt McConnell and then-House Speaker Paul Ryan, who said they "took turns" talking to Trump. Ryan described Trump successful nan book arsenic an "amoral narcissist."

"We were conscionable much amazed each day, each week, each period conscionable really loopy he was, really erratic he was, really unusual he was," Ryan says successful nan book. "He would sprout nan messengers, and Mitch and I were ever nan messengers. We would ever person to explicate to him nan applicable limitations of government. He ne'er liked proceeding that."

McConnell was captious of a number of Trump's moves, including his determination to meddle successful nan 2017 Alabama typical predetermination that saw Republican Roy Moore beaten by Democrat Doug Jones.

"I recommended Trump enactment retired of it," McConnell said. Instead, "Trump sewage correct successful nan mediate of it and tried to get Moore elected, and, amazingly enough, Alabama elected a Democrat to nan Senate." Said McConnell: "I'm gladsome nan Democrat won."

He said Trump's determination to occurrence his then-FBI Director James Comey was different misstep.

"His ain actions person put him successful jeopardy, and I'm judge his lawyers are astir apt going nuts, because he won't unopen up astir it. He's wholly uncontrollable," McConnell said.

Despite each of this, successful nan leadup to nan 2020 election, McConnell still appeared astatine a rally pinch Trump successful Kentucky. He thanked him for "making America awesome again".

That reside focused mostly connected nan effect that Trump and McConnell had jointly connected influencing nan national courts.