McConnell Says He Hasn’t Spoken With Biden Since the Inauguration

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that he had not spoken with President Joe Biden since Biden’s inauguration. “I haven't been invited to the White House. So far this administration is not interested in doing anything on a bipartisan basis or in the political center,” McConnell said. McConnell has spoken with Biden at least once since the inauguration, telling reporters on Feb. 2 that he had talked with Biden “yesterday morning” about “Burma...the budget process and COVID relief.” Several commentators following the 2020 election expected Biden and McConnell’s long history in the Senate to make their relationship key during the Biden administration. Coverage in some left-rated outlets said McConnell was “complaining” or “whining” about not speaking with Biden. Coverage in right-rated outlets was more common and tended to frame Biden’s lack of conversation with McConnell as a reversal of his earlier “unity” messaging.