McConnell says Trump fueled 'candidate quality' problems in the midterms

Mitch McConnell blamed former President Donald Trump on Tuesday for the Republican Party's poor showing in Senate elections this year, saying that the influence of Trump's endorsements limited the ability of the party to choose better nominees.

"Our ability to control a primary outcome was quite limited in [2022] because the support of the former president proved to be very decisive in these primaries," he told reporters at his weekly press conference at the Capitol. "So my view was: do the best you can with the cards you're dealt."

"Hopefully in the next cycle, we'll have quality candidates everywhere and a better outcome," he added.