Mitch McConnell
© Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Former President Donald Trump excoriated Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as weak, ineffective, and ultimately reliant on Democrats to prevent the destruction of the filibuster, which would be "catastrophic for the Republican party."

"He's hanging by a thread," Trump said on Monday's iHeartRadio The Truth with Lisa Boothe" podcast.
"... I don't really want to talk to him. He's hanging by a thread right now with respect to the filibuster. He's hanging on [West Virginia Democratic Senator] Joe Manchin, who always goes with the Democrats. Joe talks, but he ends up going with the Democrats ... But he's hanging by a thread and if they get the filibuster, if they knock it out, it will be catastrophic for the Republican party."
Democrat momentum to abolish the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes to end debate and move to a final vote for most items, has picked up in recent months, with proponents charging the increasingly gridlocked Senate will be largely useless unless reforms occur. Those who support keeping the filibuster — mainly Republicans, at this point — say it's essential to preserve the voice of the minority.

Trump said Democrats would be free to pursue any radical policy they desire if the filibuster falls.
"They're going to attack the Second Amendment, violently, which I've told everybody. They're going to attack the Supreme Court.

"Wouldn't it be interesting: The Supreme Court has done absolutely nothing for us in terms of the [2020 election challenges]. They haven't done what they should have done. Wouldn't it be ironic if they stacked the court?"
As the 2020 election cycle recedes further into the past and the 2022 midterms begin moving into view, Trump is turning his attention to endorsements, particularly with a view toward replacing those lawmakers who've openly warred with him or who he sees as ineffective.

Trump specifically named McConnell and fellow Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Ben Sasse, R-Neb., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Ala., as part of the contingent he hopes to get replaced. Among other conflicts, Romney, Sasse, and Murkowski all voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial (and second acquittal) in connection with the U.S. Capitol breach on Jan. 6. McConnell, for his part, has alternately lambasted Trump in a stunning Senate speech and also said he would support Trump if he runs for president in 2024 and again gains the party nomination.
"Murkowski's bad news. Ben Sasse, little Ben Sasse, he's a disaster for the party. He came up, he was so nice to me for two years ... He just wanted the endorsement ... and after he gets the nomination he gets a little bit sassy again. The guy's a loser.

"We need better leadership than Mitch McConnell. And stronger leadership. I mean he can't rein in his own people. We have the Mitt Romney's of the world and the Ben Sasse's of the world. These are not good for the Republican party. These are not people that are good."