On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized Mitch McConnell for opposing President Trump’s Pentagon nominee, Elbridge Colby. McConnell was the lone Republican to vote no, prompting Vance to call it “one of the great acts of political pettiness” and fueling backlash from MAGA-aligned conservatives.

Figures like businessman Nate Morris and Rep. Mike Collins joined in, blasting McConnell for siding with Democrats. Despite the pushback, Colby was confirmed 54-45, with most Democrats opposing him. McConnell argued Colby’s confirmation could damage U.S. alliances, but many questioned his reasoning given Colby’s focus on countering China.

McConnell also used the week to rebuke Trump’s position on Ukraine, stating that the former president’s refusal to solely blame Russia showed a dangerous misunderstanding of global leverage. Without naming Trump directly, McConnell insisted that failing to call out Russia as the aggressor was both “costly and embarrassing.”

He further criticized Biden’s response to the war but warned that ending it without protecting Ukraine’s sovereignty would only embolden Russia. His remarks came shortly after Trump called Ukrainian President Zelensky “a dictator” and blamed Ukraine for sparking the conflict.