Other GOP lawmakers and aides say disagreements between McConnell and McCarthy over politics and policy stem primarily from Trump’s greater influence over the internal dynamics of the House GOP conference compared to the Senate GOP conference.
The bottom line is that McConnell does not need Trump’s support to be re-elected as Senate Republican leader after the 2022 midterm elections while McCarthy must have Trump’s backing to be elected the next Speaker.
As a result, McCarthy has had to be much more deferential to Trump’s public statements, creating a disconnect between the two GOP leaders.
The dissonance isn’t a critical problem yet because McCarthy is the House minority leader and has relatively little influence over getting must-pass legislation across the finish line. But if Republicans win back the House majority — as experts increasingly expect — it will become a bigger issue.
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