Mitch McConnell’s Final Act: Did He Give In to Trump?

Is Mitch McConnell Okay? Inside His Mystery Hospitalization — Plus Platner's Exit and Trump's $5M Payout to E. Jean Carroll Mitch McConnell hasn't been seen publicly since he was hospitalized on June 14 — and the silence is fueling real questions about the 84-year-old's health as Kentucky faces a looming deadline to name his potential successor. Republican strategist Stuart Stevens, who once served as a top McConnell strategist, joins Tara to go deep on what he calls McConnell's legacy: a Senate leader who "stayed in line" his entire career and, in Stevens' view, helped hand the party to Donald Trump in the process. Stevens also weighs in on the Kentucky succession fight, the long shadow McConnell's Senate tenure casts over the modern GOP, and why he thinks history will remember him very differently than McConnell might hope. Plus: Graham Platner's Maine Senate campaign implodes after rape allegations surface, a federal judge finally orders Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll $5.8 million, and Trump ditches his new Qatari jet for the old Air Force One over security concerns. Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. For more of her reporting, subscribe to her weekly newsletter, "The Red Letter." https://tarapalmeri.substack.com/ https://www.tarapalmeri.com/subscribe The latest from the 'Red Letter': https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/is-it-t... https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/gen-z-g... https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/is-big-... To support her mission of independent journalism, consider donating to her GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/0c46f9a5 Listen to the 'Tara Palmeri Show': Apple https://apple.co/4lWeFuo iHeartRadio https://iheart.com/podcast/273622585/ Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cdf... Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3kgamV3... New videos from Tara are released 5PM EST on weekdays and Sunday / @tarapalmeri Follow Tara: / tarapalmeri https://x.com/tarapalmeri / tarapalmeri For inquiries, email: [email protected] Youtube Chapters 0:00 Intro & Mitch McConnell's Hospitalization 1:15 Welcoming Stuart Stevens 2:15 Graham Platner Drops Out — Reaction 3:12 Platner's Defiant Concession Video 5:58 On the Courage to Come Forward 7:14 Accuser's CNN Interview Clip 9:09 How Platner Rose Without Vetting 10:49 Who Replaces Platner in Maine? 13:01 Echoes of the Kamala Harris Pick 16:15 Stevens' Playbook: Attack Susan Collins 17:18 Trump Almost Defends Platner (Clip) 19:07 E. Jean Carroll's $5M Payout 21:57 GOP Hypocrisy & the Clinton Era 28:32 Mitch McConnell's Hospitalization 30:01 Scott Jennings' Call With McConnell 31:24 "McConnell's Legacy Is Donald Trump" 36:48 JD Vance Positioned as Trump's Successor 41:18 How the Party Enabled Trump's 2016 Rise 43:28 JD Vance Defends Nazis 45:04 The "Hillbilly Elegy" Debate 48:59 Gerrymandering Fight Heats Up 53:01 Race and the GOP's Demographic Problem 58:00 What Do Republicans Run On in 2026? 59:20 Trump's Qatari Air Force One Saga 1:03:14 Sign-Off & Thank Yous