Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made what seemed to be another criticism of President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, cautioning that the country is in a "dangerous" global situation similar to the years leading up to World War II, and pointing out that Trump's campaign slogan echoes that historical period.
“We’re in a very, very dangerous world right now, reminiscent of before World War II,” he told The Financial Times in an article published Wednesday. “Even the slogan is the same. 'America First.' That was what they said in the '30s."
The phrase has roots in the 1850s nativist American Party and was used by President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. The Ku Klux Klan adopted the slogan in the 1920s.
Indeed, the Anti-Defamation League urged Trump to rethink his usage of the slogan due to its past association with bigotry and pro-Nazi beliefs.
McConnell, a staunch critic of isolationism, pointed to influential Senate Republican Robert A Taft, the son of former President William Howard Taft, who he noted was "a raging isolationist" who opposed the creation of NATO and the Marshall Plan.
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"Thank goodness Eisenhower beat him for the [presidential] nomination in ’52 and had a much different view of America’s role in the world," said McConnell, who has been a Kentucky senator since 1985.
He told the Times he plans to continue fighting isolationism while in office, as some in the GOP he helped shape increasingly embrace its ideals, including Trump and Vice-President-elect JD Vance, both of whom have opposed additional aid to Ukraine.
"The cost of deterrence is considerably less than the cost of war," he said, noting the United States spent about 37 percent of its GDP on fighting in World War II.
McConnell added: "To most American voters, I think the simple answer is, ‘Let’s stay out of it.’ That was the argument made in the ’30s and that just won’t work. Thanks to Reagan, we know what does work — not just saying peace through strength, but demonstrating it."
His interview comes days after he received an ovation for taking a swipe at Trump, though he didn't mention the MAGA leader by name.
"Within the party Ronald Reagan once led so capably, it is increasingly fashionable to suggest that the sort of global leadership he modeled is no longer America’s place."
He then added, “But let’s be absolutely clear: America will not be made great again by those who are content to manage our decline," with Politico noting McConnell received an enthusiastic ovation when he concluded speaking.
