Vice President JD Vance has publicly slammed Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) over the veteran Republican senator’s vote against the confirmation of Elbridge Colby for Under Secretary of Policy at the Department of Defense.
Vance blasted McConnell over the senator’s efforts to derail President Donald Trump’s nominee.
Colby received strong support from leading figures within the America First movement after he was nominated by Trump.
Following the Senate vote, Vance denoumced McConnell’s opposition as “one of the great acts of political pettiness I’ve ever seen.”
Vance’s comments reflect a widening divide over foreign policy and national defense strategy within the Republican Party.
Referencing the opposition Colby faced from globalist factions, Vance stated:
“Mitch’s vote today — like so much of the last few years of his career — is one of the great acts of political pettiness I’ve ever seen.”
Mitch’s vote today—like so much of the last few years of his career—is one of the great acts of political pettiness I’ve ever seen. https://t.co/Qg6eAOqW4J
— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 8, 2025
McConnell was the only Republican senator to vote against Colby’s nomination.
Following the vote, McConnell issued a statement explaining his position.
He criticized Colby’s foreign policy views, particularly his emphasis on prioritizing threats in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Mr. Colby’s public record suggests a willingness to discount the complexity of the challenges facing America, the critical value of our allies and partners, and the urgent need to invest in hard power to preserve American primacy,” McConnell wrote.
He argues that Colby’s strategic approach reflects what McConnell described as outdated thinking.
“The prioritization that Mr. Colby argues is fresh, new, and urgently needed is, in fact, a return to an Obama-era conception of a la carte geostrategy,” McConnell said.
McConnell further criticized Colby’s views on reducing U.S. involvement in regions such as Ukraine and the Middle East in favor of focusing on China and the Indo-Pacific.
“Abandoning Ukraine and Europe and downplaying the Middle East to prioritize the Indo-Pacific is not a clever geopolitical chess move,” McConnell claimed.
“It is geostrategic self-harm that emboldens our adversaries and drives wedges between America and our allies for them to exploit.”
He concluded by warning that the confirmation of Colby could signal what he called “isolationist perversions of peace through strength to continue apace at the highest levels of administration policymaking.”
Scathing statement from Mitch McConell after he votes against Elbridge Colby, who was just confirmed by the Senate for a top Pentagon post.
“Make no mistake: America will not be made great again by those who are content to manage our decline.” pic.twitter.com/tckBmtgAKC
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 8, 2025
Colby’s nomination has been closely followed by supporters of the America First movement.
Many view Colby as a critical figure in reshaping the Pentagon’s priorities.
As previously reported by Breitbart, Colby has been frequently targeted by foreign policy establishment figures in Washington.
Supporters have described him as aligned with Trump’s strategy and dedicated to reforming defense policy.
“Colby, whom globalists have attacked relentlessly, is someone America First movement leaders revere because he is viewed as a reformer heading into the Pentagon to help Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fix the place,” Breitbart reported.
Donald Trump Jr. also weighed in ahead of the vote.
The president’s son emphasized Colby’s commitment to the administration’s foreign policy direction.
“The DC swamp fears Bridge because they know he’s 100% loyal to my father’s America First foreign policy agenda at the Defense Department,” Trump Jr. said.
He also noted the importance of the vote within the movement, adding, “The entire MAGA movement will be watching this vote very closely.”
McConnell, who is not seeking reelection in 2026, remains a key figure in Senate Republican leadership.
However, McConnell continues to clash with Trump-aligned conservatives over his positions on foreign policy and national security.
