McConnell: Trump’s speech should be ‘tweet free’

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday quipped that President Trump’s upcoming speech to Congress should be “tweet free.”

“A tweet-free, optimistic and uplifting message about where America needs to go,” McConnell said when asked at a local Kentucky Chamber of Commerce event what he hoped to hear from Trump.

McConnell’s comments — which earned him quick laughter from the lunchtime audience — comes as the Kentucky Republican is increasingly going public with his views on Trump’s penchant for tweeting.

{mosads}He told reporters late last week that he doesn’t like the president engaging in “extra discussion.”

“I’ve been pretty candid with him and all of you that I’m not a fan of the daily tweets,” he told reporters during a press conference on Friday. 

McConnell, known for his tight-lipped tactics, repeatedly said during the campaign that he wanted Trump to stick to a “script.”

Trump’s penchant for around-the-clock tweeting on various issues has at times caused headache for GOP lawmakers, who are hounded by reporters over his comments.

But McConnell reiterated during a separate event this week that he largely agrees with the Trump administration’s early actions.

“Am I a fan of all the tweets? Use your imagination,” he said during an event in Kentucky. “But if you focus on what the president is trying to accomplish. … I think he’s been doing all the right things.”