Mitch McConnell's legacy: $27.6 trillion in national debt

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday announced plans to step down as GOP conference leader in November, marking an end to his more than 20-year stint in Senate leadership that saw the U.S. accumulate a mountain of debt.

"One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter," he said on the Senate floor. "So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. However, I'll complete my job. My colleagues have given me until we select a new leader in November and they take the helm next January."

McConnell has served as GOP leader since 2007 after serving as party whip since 2003, at which time the U.S. national debt stood at $6.783 trillion. As of Wednesday, that figure stood at $34.405 trillion.

"[T]he turtle he announced today he's retiring, at least stepping down from his leadership role in the Senate in November. He leaves an extraordinary legacy. I want you to remember this, because when he came to power in 2003, as Senate Majority Whip, he was billed as a fiscal conservative," Just the News Editor-in-Chief John Solomon said on the "Just the News, No Noise" program.

Solomon went on to highlight the disparity between the national debt at the start of McConnell's time in leadership and the present.

"Turtle" is one of a litany of nicknames McConnell has earned over the course of his tenure, such as "Moscow Mitch," the "Grim Reaper," and "Cocaine Mitch."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.