(The Hill) — Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) compared the modern-day political landscape to the pre-World War II era in the United States, pointing specifically to tariffs and foreign policy.
In an interview published Wednesday with a local Kentucky newspaper, the Lexington Herald-Leader, McConnell reflected on his storied career in the Senate as the Republican leader and said he decided to use these two years before he leaves public service to “focus on what I thought was the most important thing I might have an impact on, and that’s defense and foreign policy.”
“I think this is the most dangerous period since before World War Two,” McConnell said in the interview, which was conducted on Friday.
“There’s certain similarities right now to the ‘30s,” he continued, pointing to the Smoot-Hawley tariff bill in 1930, which he said is “widely believed by historians and economists to have taken the depression worldwide.”
President Donald Trump has similarly issued sweeping tariffs on many U.S. allies and close trading partners. He has done so in an effort to strike what he views as better deals for America to offset trade imbalances. Members of his administration have also touted the revenue generated by the tariffs, which American consumers of foreign products pay.
McConnell also noted similarities between those who oppose U.S. intervention globally today and those who held similar views before America was drawn into the World War II.
He also expressed concern that the U.S. isn’t sufficiently prepared for what appears to be a growing alliance between some countries that are antagonistic toward the U.S.
On the same day the interview was published, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared in public together for the first time, as Xi hosted the others as guests for his military parade in Beijing.
“Those who were totally anxious to stay out of all of what was going on in Europe were called ‘America First.’ Sound familiar? So what do we have today? North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Iran’s proxies. They’re very different kinds of countries, but they have one thing in common: They hate us,” McConnell said. “So, when you talk about preparedness, we’re not prepared like we should be.”
McConnell also warned against failure in Ukraine as the U.S. president seeks to broker a peace deal to end the war with Russia.
“With regard to Ukraine, what we need to do is avoid the headline at the end of the war, ‘Russia wins, America loses.’ It has huge worldwide implications,” McConnell said.
“And for those who are concerned about the money, I think it’s important to remember that about half of the money was spent in this country, including in Kentucky, [with] 38 states modernizing our own industrial bases. We’ve sent older weapons to Ukraine,” he continued.
McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history, announced last year that he would step away from his leadership role and retire from the Senate entirely at the end of his term next year.
