- McConnell is supporting a debt ceiling reform that will require GOP support to keep paying the country's bills.
- Trump slammed McConnell for failing to use the debt ceiling to stall Biden's agenda on the Hugh Hewitt show.
- He said the debt ceiling is "psychological" while Build Back Better is not and will "destroy" the country.
President Donald Trump isn't too pleased with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, especially when it comes to his negotiations with Democrats to make sure the US can keep paying its bills and avoid a debt default — known as the debt ceiling.
On Tuesday, the House voted to approve a reform to raise the debt ceiling, which would allow the Senate to lift the limit and continue paying the US' bills with a simple majority instead of the 60-vote threshold needed to break a filibuster. While McConnell remained adamant earlier this year that raising the debt ceiling is something Democrats must do on their own, this time around appears to be different, and the Republican leader expressed confidence that the reform will get GOP support in the Senate.
But Trump made clear he does not support this reform at all on conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt's show.
"So Mitch McConnell has the greatest hand, the greatest, the best, this is such an easy negotiation to kill the Build Back Worse plan of Biden, which is going to destroy our country permanently," Trump said. "And we have a thing called the debt ceiling," he added. "And this morning, I hear he gave it up. He gave it up for practically nothing. He could have used the debt ceiling card."
The former president also said the debt ceiling is "psychological" while President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan is not, and that the plan will "destroy our country, the fabric of the country as we know it."
The criticism of McConnell is not something new for Trump. Insider reported last month that McConnell appeared to be ignoring Trump calling him a "Broken Old Crow" after he helped Democrats suspend the ceiling by an additional two months in October. Since then, McConnell has met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer a number of times to devise the best strategy to ensure the US can keep paying its bills and avoid a debt default.
Other Republican lawmakers appear to be on board with McConnell's plan, as well, that would pave the way for Senate Democrats to raise the debt ceiling on their own.
"I'm going to support Democrats raising the debt ceiling without Republican votes," Texas Sen. John Cornyn told Politico. "To have Democrats raise the debt ceiling and be held accountable for racking up the debt is my goal. And this helps us accomplish it."
But Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah told NBC News the reform is a "terrible idea."
"Terrible," Lee said. "This is nuking the filibuster."
The bill now awaits Senate approval, and it's still unclear if enough Republicans will jump on board.