McConnell: Trump’s name-calling ‘ought to stop’

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is calling on Donald Trump to drop his penchant for personal insults, saying the presumptive presidential nominee’s tactics bother him. 

“I don’t like that. I think that that ought to stop. I don’t think it adds any value whatsoever to the discourse. And it is something about him that I don’t care for,” McConnell told Baltimore radio station WBAL on Thursday when asked about Trump’s temperament and name-calling.

{mosads}Trump’s success has divided Republican lawmakers, who have questioned the businessman’s tone and conservative credentials. 

McConnell sidestepped a question about whether he believes Trump is conservative. Instead, he argued Trump will have to work with Republicans in Congress, who could act as a check on a potential Trump administration. 

“I think he will have to operate in what I call the right-of-center world,” he added.  “The president is not a dictator in our country. You can’t just do whatever you want to. You have to work in the system, and the system in our party is right of center.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has yet to endorse Trump, but McConnell defended his own decision to support the party’s expected nominee.

“He got the most votes, and I think we need to respect the process. … What is the alternative? We know that Hillary Clinton will be four more years just like the last eight,” he said.

Though McConnell is backing Trump, he also frequently declines to comment on the brash candidate’s statements, instead arguing that he’s focused on defending 24 GOP Senate seats in November.

McConnell’s comments were first reported by BuzzFeed.