President Donald Trump vowed to help Republicans win seats in Congress in 2022 elections but lashed out at two top party figures, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell and former Vice President Mike Pence, at a donor retreat on Saturday.
At a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago Club for Republican National Committee donors in Palm Beach, Florida, McConnell drew Trump’s ire. Parting from the prepared text of his speech, Trump called the senator a “son of a bitch,” according to several accounts.
“The key to this triumphant future will be to build on the gains our amazing movement has made over the past four years,” Trump told hundreds of leading Republican donors, according to the prepared remarks. “Under our leadership, we welcomed millions upon millions of new voters into the Republican coalition. We transformed the Republican Party into a party that truly fights for all Americans.”
Before leaving office, Trump had scolded Pence for not intervening to stop the congressional certification of the vote tally, an authority the vice president did not have.
Departing again from his prepared text, Trump said he had spoken to Pence recently and told him he was still disappointed in him, the attendee said.
Representatives for McConnell and Pence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.