is to know when it's time to move on to life's next chapter.

(pensive music)

- [Reporter] After 17 years at the helm

of the Republican Party in the Senate,

Mitch McConnell announced he will step down

from his leadership role in November.

- I love the Senate. It's been my life.

There may be more distinguished members of this body

throughout our history, but I doubt there were any

with any more admiration for the Senate.

(camera shutter snapping)

- [Reporter] Now the longest serving party leader

in Senate history.

- [Crowd] Mitch, Mitch, Mitch!

- [Reporter] McConnell cultivated political clout

and a reputation as a master legislative strategist.

But in recent years, he also faced concerns over his health

and a changing Republican Party.

- The Senate's gonna be

a very different place, unquestionably.

- [Announcer] Switch to Mitch for Senator.

- [Reporter] Mitch McConnell was first elected to Congress

in 1984, flipping a seat in Kentucky

where he holds the title

of the state's longest-serving senator.

He served as the Republican whip for four years

before becoming the head of his conference.

He would be voted leader eight more times

across four presidential administrations.

- Mitch McConnell is almost universally respected.

That's not that he is universally loved.

- Some folks still don't think

I spend enough time with Congress.

"Why don't you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?" They ask.

Really? (audience laughing)

Why don't you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?

- He's either your greatest asset

or your biggest liability on literally everything

that came before the federal government.

I remember him saying sort of tongue-in-cheek,

"It's taken me 30 years

to convince everybody I'm an asshole.

I'm not gonna turn back now." (laughs)

- [Reporter] Wielding brass knuckle tactics

to push his agenda, McConnell didn't aim

for public popularity

or shy away from controversial opinions.

- Our top political priority over the next two years

should be to deny President Obama a second term.

- He is perfectly comfortable

being the most unpopular person that he can be,

and his view is he's not doing his job if you like him.

Like, he's just, there's no good decisions you can make

in that role that's gonna satisfy

a 60% majority of Americans, just not.

- [Reporter] With a decades-long tenure

comes many legislative highs and lows for McConnell.

- This is a guy who watched John McCain

cast the decisive no vote on the repeal of Obamacare,

a heartbreaker for the Republican Party.

- [McCain] No.

- [Reporter] Shortly after that, McConnell was able

to deliver on passing a $1.5 trillion tax cut,

the largest structural overhaul

of the tax system in more than 30 years.

- Probably from a legislative perspective,

the signature accomplishment of the entire Trump presidency.

- [Reporter] Some of McConnell's achievements

will last for years to come.

During the Trump administration,

he pushed through the confirmations

of more than 200 judicial nominees,

including 53 on appeals courts,

and three on the Supreme Court.

In 2016, McConnell refused to hold confirmation hearings

for then-President Barack Obama's

Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland.

- We're not giving lifetime appointments to this president

on the way out the door to change the Supreme Court

for the next 25 or 30 years.

- [Reporter] In October, 2020 with Trump in the White House,

McConnell and Senate Republicans

confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the high court

just days before the presidential election.

- A lot of what we've done over the last four years

will be undone sooner or later by the next election.

They won't be able to do much about this

for a long time to come.

- [Reporter] The appointment was met with strong criticism

from Senate Democrats.

- They subjected Judge Garland

to an unprecedented partisan blockade,

but they're erecting a monument to hypocrisy

to rush Judge Barrett onto the bench.

- McConnell has cemented a conservative majority

on the Supreme Court for at least a generation.

- [Reporter] One of the greatest challenges

McConnell has faced during his tenure

is the rapidly changing Republican Party

shifting away from more traditional conservative values

and moving toward former President Donald Trump's

populist brand of conservatism.

- Believe me, I know the politics within my party

at this particular moment in time.

I have many faults.

Misunderstanding politics is not one of them.

- [Reporter] Many of McConnell's legislative wins

came during the Trump administration,

but the pair had a relatively tumultuous relationship.

- McConnell has this idea that to win in politics,

you must sit and stand firm.

And that's absolutely what he did with President Trump.

And that's not to say it was always easy.

That's not to say it came without any toll,

but it did speak to McConnell's sort of internal toughness

and ability to persevere

as qualities that were important to his leadership.

Things really fell apart, though,

between McConnell and Donald Trump after January 6th

when McConnell did not vote to convict President Trump,

but got up and gave a very, very impassioned speech

in public view on the Senate floor.

- There's no question, none,

that President Trump is practically and morally responsible

for provoking the events of the day.

No question about it.

- [Reporter] McConnell's decision to step down

follows a series of health setbacks

after the leader appeared to freeze

during two public appearances.

- All right, I'm sorry, you all. We're gonna need a minute.

- [Reporter] The Senate Minority Leader

who turned 82 on February 20th

said it's time for a new season in his life.

He will step back from the leadership role in November,

but plans to remain in the Senate

until his term expires in 2027.

- McConnell has been a very strong centralized leader

at a time when rank-and-file members want more power

to be devolved out into their hands.

And so it could mean a weakening

of the Senate Republicans' leadership.

It's very, very hard to see someone else who's going

to bring together all of those different skill sets,

the mastery of the Senate rules,

the mental and emotional toughness to produce the same type

of leadership that we saw with a Senator McConnell.

- I have full confidence in my conference

to choose my replacement and lead our country forward.

- And if you look at what he has done with his leadership

from the moment he walked into that office

to the moment he walks out, what he's ultimately done

has been the most consequential figure

over the longest period of time

of any Senate leader in history.

- [Press Corps Member] What do you say to the-

(press corps chattering) (pensive music)