your screen. this makes it easy to get an idea of what was debated and decided in washington. scroll through and spend a few minutes on c-span's points of interest. >> c-span is unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more, including cox. >> extremely rare. am i connected? >> you're not alone. >> cox supports c-span as a public service along with these other television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. mcconnell into his rn as the republican leader in the senate in just a minute. more details on the announcement.

was it a surprise yesterday? >> the decision itself was not necessarily a surprise to a lot of people. there were questions as to if he would try to go for a leadership position again. the fact he decided to step down was not shocking to many people i was talking to, but the fact that he did it yesterday and the timing of it was a surprise to most people. only a handful of people knew ahead of time that he was planning to announce this decision yesterday. there was surprise on the timing . host: who was given a heads up? guest: i have heard from a

couple of people who are close to mcconnell who got a little bit of a heads up that this would be coming, the lead no he told colleagues. many of the senators did not know ahead of time that mcconnell was planning to make this announcement yesterday. we all got to talk to the senators reacting to the news because the vast majority of them had no idea until yesterday. host: what led to his decision? guest: that is a good question. he laid out reasons himself of course, he already has the longest serving leader in history. he has already kind of reached

that goal and made mention of the fact that he understands political wind is changing. at least part of his conference in recent weeks, we know there was a big showdown over the deal that ultimately failed. he was unable to get half of his congress to vote for aid. trump is a big reason as well. we have seen time and time again that the former president continues to have a strong grip on the republican party. there was kind of a breakup between the senate republican leader and donald trump. that certainly factors into it as well. he mentioned personal reasons

saying he might want to step away, not wanting to hang on for too long. the death of his sister-in-law is a moment of reflection for him on what he wants to do. host: did it help play a role in his decision-making? guest: the people i talked to said that did not play a role, but he has had a difficult health journey the past couple of years. him freezing up on camera certainly sparked questions. but i'm sure that factored into it, going back to last year when we were seeing some of those episodes. host: what senators are in the running to replace him as republican leader? guest: leadership election will

happen in november and we are looking at the most likely candidates. we have john zune, the number two republican, number three in the senate and a texas senator who does not currently have a leadership role but has had leadership roles in the past. they offer a different direction for the party the senate. many see him as the front runner at this point, the more natural heir of mitch mcconnell. but on the others, he does not have a good relationship in trump's circle, so that could be a hindrance to run for leader.

john has been a long time endorse or of the former president and has backed a lot of the conservative style candidates so far. he is an interesting character to watch as well because of his appeal to the further right. whether we see both senators pull some power and sway. seems likely to make a run for this position. he also has a little bit of a difficult relationship with former president trump, but he has never endorsed with any other challenger. host: you can follow her reporting on this story and others.

thank you for your time. now he turned to all of you to get your reaction to the news. mitch mcconnell stepping down from the top spot. stephen, you are up first. caller: good morning. i just wanted to say that but mitch mcconnell created, rushing coney barrett on the quiet has created a republican super majority, not a legal super majority but a republican super majority. they are not a supreme court. they are six republicans doing what they want.

overturning roe v. wade -- this last decision to delay trump's case is another example of them working exclusively for the republican party and not the american people. there is no presidential immunity to kill people, and they know that. they should not be taking this case. we have mitch mcconnell to thank for all of this. i'm glad he stepped down and i cannot wait for him to retire from the senate. thank you. host: democratic caller talking about the role that mitch mcconnell played in the current makeup of the supreme court, referencing barack obama's election and then working with the trump administration with

the current conservative justices, getting that through the senate and onto the bench. tony, republican. hello. caller: yeah. i wanted to say that mitch mcconnell was a nice guy he was a zero as a leader. i will give him his due on that one, but let's be real. if you had seen the judges -- the democrats would have never done the same to the republicans like that. this guy offered no leadership. that is a ladder movement. i never remembered this guy. he issued that he would never impeach people.

he had no aggression at all. i think the democrats today are sad to see that he is leaving because the sky is like many were. if there is an into the republican party, this guy will be the first chapter. host: ok. it sounds like you will disagree with the wall street editorial board. great senate legacy is what they write. trump would not have won without his assistance. the great irony of his legacy is that the left hates him because he is effective, which his own party failed to appreciate. he committed considerable energy trying to nominate candidates who could win.

mr. mcconnell's most lasting accomplishment was remaking the federal judiciary. the refusal to replace the late anthony scalia ahead of the 2016 election was a political gamble for the ages that took steely nerves and credibility with his colleagues. mr. trump would not have won without that open supreme court seat as the motivation for millions of voters. and 2017, mr. mcconnell helped neil gorsuch win confirmation by finishing what harry reid started, breaking the filibuster for judicial nominees. wall street journal with high praise for the outgoing republican leader in the senate. do you agree or disagree?

fresh meadows, new york, democratic caller. caller: i do agree with them, but i disagree. i think he is a brilliant man. he was very successful in amplifying the republican's cause. i think he won the battles, but i think history will look at him unkindly because i think ultimately, he has lost the war for the republicans. host: in what way? caller: i think he is a catalyst of what we are presently encountering. we battled trump, not being responsible for his actions. in new york, we know about him. i am 63 years old. i saw what happened in atlantic city.

i saw what happened with trump university. i'm grateful that i had no interest in buying trump products. he has failed every business venture he has taken on and i did appreciate him as tabloid. but i believe that if he is not held accountable for his crimes as president of the u.s. and as a former president of the u.s., we can thank mitch mcconnell, but i do not think this tree will be kind to him. host: mentioning the court decision for the former president trump. there is news on that front this morning in the papers. we will start with the front page of the wall street journal.

the supreme court agrees to hear trump's claims of immunity. the supreme court will be considering immunity claims while he will be likely -- while he will likely be in the middle of a criminal trial in new york. a state judge has scheduled the trial to begin march 25. the supreme court justices -- if they reject trump's immunity arguments, a child would not likely take lace until summer, at the earliest. the convention where he will seek his third nomination build in on the 15th. in new york times, on that case in new york, the court rejects the former president's bid to pause that judgment.

if he fails to secure a bond, they could move to seize his bank accounts, that from the new york times this morning. also from the new york times, another headline. the former president removed from state primary ballot. back to our conversation with all of you about the minority leader mitch mcconnell, the leader of the gop in the senate deciding to relinquish that rule in november. robert in oregon, a republican. your reaction. caller: i am pleased to weigh in on this and i appreciate c-span's -- i am a long time listener and viewer. i am a lifelong republican. i would say that mitch

mcconnell, given the different segments of the caucus, along with the presidency of donald trump, through all of that in an effective way, i give him major credit and always have, for a very difficult job. i thought that it was good that we do not have merit garland on the bench. nobody knows what the ultimate result there be. but it has become politicized in a way that we did not see when dwight eisenhower was president. certainly, that includes

nominees proposed by joe biden. as far as sticking to the subject, i feels very strongly that longevity of service, in and of itself suggests that mitch mcconnell certainly did a few things that perpetuated his continued existence in that station. i do not look to him as a shining light that will -- we will forever remember, but as far as his ability to work with both sides, to the extent that he could, it was a very difficult role of the dice. he deserves significant credit for that. it is time to move on. host: robert, who should replace

him? caller: well, that is a great question. i have not thought about that difficultly, but if -- it would be somebody who had the ability to compromise without prostituting themselves to the party's wishes. if i had to pick, as a placeholder, someone like forename would be acceptable, but because there is such longevity there -- that is where i think i would go, not knowing all the members. i do know that i would want to stay away from somebody he wanted to demagogue every issue

like our senators from oregon. that is not the oregon way. we miss people, but that is what i would have to say to you. i need to know more of the people who are offering. host: paul, in his column notes that the fed republicans face a struggle. they talk about john, who is pictured here. a slight edge of record in. the width makes him a natural successor, according to multiple senior aides. a third of the senate republicans took office after john cornyn, who served as head

of senate republicans campaign arm at the end of 2018, but most republicans believe he is short of a clear majority. that would leave about a dozen to 15 republicans up in the air, almost all of whom come from the wing that would vote against extending mcconnell's run after the 2022 election. if they work together, they could back rasco and possibly leave them short of a majority while trying to extract concessions from the top two on a second ballot. that is what is to come in november with the senate republican elected a new year. mitch mcconnell announcing that he is stepping down from that role.

we are getting your reaction this morning. more of your phone calls coming up. first let's hear more from the kentucky republican on the senate floor yesterday. he reflected on his career over the many decades in the senate. [video clip] >> my career began in the reagan revolution. the truth is, when i got here, i was just happy anybody remembered my name. president reagan called me mitch o'donnell. close enough, i thought. my wife, elaine and i, got married on president reagan's birthday, february 6. probably not the most romantic thing to admit, but reagan meant a lot to both of us. 31 years, elaine has been the

love of my life, and i am eternally grateful to have her by my side. i think back to my first days in the senate with deep appreciation. to the time that help to shape my view of the world. de replaceable role that we play as the leader of the free world. it is why i work so hard. believe me, -- i have many faults. but politics is not one of them. that said, i believe more strongly than ever that

leadership is essential to preserving the shining city on the hill that ronald reagan described. as long as i am drawn breath on this earth, i will defend american exceptionalism. host: mitch mcconnell on the floor yesterday announcing that he will no longer serve as republican leader starting in november. he has been in the senate for a number of decades. one of the first times that he appeared on c-span back in 1985. [video clip] >> the people of kentucky wanted me to come to washington and cut out the wasteful spending. i am bringing a lot of ideas to washington. take education. i introduced a bill to teach driver education and sex education in the same car. [laughter]

i guess you noticed that he plans to ride the space shuttle. i think they are making a movie out of it. tommy robinson -- we were talking behind the podium before we came up. we knew he was going to be the first of the six freshman to make our comedy debuts today. before tommy started speaking, he gathered us together and said, in all seriousness, the bombing begins in five minutes. thank you. host: mitch mcconnell back in 1985, 1 of his first appearances on these been.

chicago, color. -- democratic caller. caller: giving up the power. they do not have power. in his waning years. it is coming back to bite him. getting legislation, having that power, this party -- when trump came in, he did not have the guts to stand up to him. he chose. we are going to let him do whatever he wants because he has the power now. and now this party, every value that they ever stood for.

in his waning years, trump has jumped on all of it. so what does he do? nothing. i think he is going out realizing that. in the end, my party is no longer republican. host: thank you. from the kentucky courier journal, mcconnell first took office in 1985 and has served as republican leaders since 2007 when george w. bush was in the white house. mcconnell turned 82 last week. stephen in olympia, washington. good morning. caller: good morning. mitch mcconnell, the guy has been there for the republicans

all this time. just because he decided to step down, a lot of things are in consideration. he is the nemesis for the democrat, all these years he has been there. i do not care if people want to give him salutes. democrat senators or house democrats want to get together, holding hands and kumbaya while he is leaving. he has been the is over everything, whether it be a bill that the senators developed and had to go to the house, or whether the house was bringing a bill to be voted on in the senate, he was always against the democrats. i have never morse about how i speak like this, but he has always been against the democrats, playing the game. host: what sticks out to you the

most about obstacles that he put up? caller: i will tell you like this. like i said earlier, whenever there was a bill that needed to be passed, whether it was reaganomics -- well, reagan is gone. get over it. move forward. that was a different time, in a different era in the history of the u.s. reaganomics does not exist. all the reaganomics politics and policies do not exist. so let's get on with it and move forward. he needs to get out of the way for the next people. the next people right now, our nemesis right now is trump.

i do not even call them republicans anymore. they are big vladimir putin fans. host: we believe it there. out of kentucky, noting that the leader, mitch mcconnell has not said whether he plans to seek reelection in the senate. his current term ending in 2026, and he would be 84 at the time of that election. juanita in pennsylvania. caller: while, i think he will go down -- i do not think he will be remembered as a good person because this man single-handedly destroyed our country. when he did what he did with the supreme court, holding up that nomination for barack obama, and that he did what he did, given

trump another one at the end of his term. it came out that the supreme court is destroying our country. i just have no regard for this man at all because he single-handedly has taken down this country. we are no longer the united states of america. all these people on the republican side are following the russians right now. i do not know what happened to them, but he come this man -- his name will be remembered as the man who took down america. that is about all i have to say because i am really and i wish you would have brought up the supreme court immunity thing instead of mitch mcconnell because he single-handedly destroyed this country. host: we will get to those topics and we did share the news with you from the front pages of the newspaper. let's go back.

here is mitch mcconnell on the senate floor, at the time, talking about former president barack obama's nomination of merrick garland. [video clip] >> let's work together to make our country safe, rather than endlessly debating an issue where we do not agree. as we continue working on issues like, the american people are perfectly capable of having their say on this issue. so let's give them a voice. let's let the american people decide. the senate will appropriately revisit the matter when they can that the qualifications of the nominee, the next president nominates. whoever that might be.

host: mitch mcconnell in 2016 on the nomination of merrick garland. independent, good morning. caller: good morning. i just want to say this is opportunity to speak about mitch mcconnell and what is the other topic? host: mitch mcconnell is the topic, deciding not to continue on as leader. caller: i am hoping and praying that somebody else comes along that joe biden will be able to work with and get some things done. i really believe that donald trump and mitch mcconnell have done some terrible things to this country. holding up obama's nominees just

because he was a black resident. it is a shame. black americans better wake up. if donald trump gets control of the government again, black americans are in trouble. i am a 70-year-old black man who stayed out of trouble and did everything legally, and here i am, the only president -- the only president who raised my rent was donald trump. barack obama and joe biden did not raise it a penny. people better wake up. they mean us no good. they are only there for the rich people. host: the reaction from members of the caucus reacting to news of mitch mcconnell stepping down . our thoughts are with our democrat colleagues in the senate, the retirement of their

co-majority leader, mitch mcconnell. no need to wait until november, senate republicans should immediately elect a republican minority leader. from senator chuck schumer, the majority leader in the senate. mitch mcconnell and i rarely saw i to i when it came to politics or policy preferences, but i'm proud at we cameogether to lead the senate forward at critical moments when our country eded us, like passing the cares act. finishing our work to certify the election on january 6, and we are working to fund the fight for ukraine. i wish them the very best. diane, republican. caller: yes, there is a new book out.

peter schweizer. this is my mitch mcconnell is retiring because he has really deep ties to china. he has been working with china to kill america for years. everybody needs to read this book. democrats, everybody calls on their it -- it is just crazy. thank you very much. host: louisville, kentucky. mike from his home state. what did you think? caller: from his hometown. i am a lifelong democrat but i voted republican.

i have known mitch mcconnell throughout his career. in louisville, we had a mayor and a county judge. we were split up. he was executive county judge for a long time. eventually, we combined the two. i have to say that he is absolutely unbeatable in kentucky. as democrats cannot find a candidate to even touch him in an election. we always had what we thought was a viable candidate. he would usually win jefferson county, but the rest of the state -- he is untouchable. host: why do you think that was? caller: it is hard to explain, but you just have to understand kentucky a little bit. we have a few very large

counties with a large population , and everyone, our counties were backing mr. mcconnell. as far as the competition does, he is terrific. the democrats wish to have someone of his knowledge and his power on their side. i rarely voted for him, but one thing that i do hope the next leader in the senate, i am hoping it is not rand paul. anybody but rand paul. john thune sounds like a good candidate. i kind of watched him as well. mr. mcconnell is a really nice guy and smiled. there are some different things that he spoke at, and he is such an unlikely politician. just very nice. i remember one time somebody approached him at a restaurant

and started being absolutely horrible to him and all the people in the restaurant went to defend him because he was just sitting there and taking it. a lot of people in the restaurant went over to defend the guy. from this person who decided they were going to go off on mitch mcconnell. a nice guy. good seeing you. love the dress. host: is there a politician in kentucky that you think, if he should choose not to run for reelection in 2026, who do you think will win that seat? caller: that is a tough one, but i believe it will probably be a republican. mostly, we know about our democrat candidates. but so far, nobody can touch him. i'm sure it will be a republican. host: democratic caller.

let's take a look at 2016 when then senate majority leader came onto c-span's program afterwards to talk about his book, the long game, a memoir. he spoke about henry clay and what hired him to get into politics. [video clip] >> your honors thesis was henry clay. that inspired you to want to be a u.s. senator? >> i ran for the president of the student body in high school. it was a very contentious race. i won. i began to follow politics. i remember at age 14 when the conventions, the coverage of conventions focused on the podium and listened to all the

speeches on tv. >> there was a big radio and we would sit there and listen to the whole thing. >> pretty boring. i thought i was the only 14-year-old. maybe you are watching as well, watching those things. again, trying to practice this craft to see if i could get good at it. i ran for president of student council in college, and law school, and clay was the most famous politician in kentucky. >> what about clay inspired you the most? >> he had become a popular statesman.

i wanted to learn more about him, so -- >> he was known for crafting compromises, which is a dirty word today to some people. >> absolutely. the constitution is full of compromises and we do it every single day to make the senate function. so i did my senior thesis on henry clay. and i continue to follow him as many aspiring kentucky politicians do. host: that was back in 2016, talking about what is fired him to get into politics. he was asked in this, why is -- why he is a man of few words. [video clip] >> when i was asked to do this, i thought, how can anybody get

mitch mcconnell to talk for an hour. you only speak to the press when it is to your advantage. press when it is to your advantage. you talk about a time when bill gates came to see you and the two of you just sat there and people were uncomfortable waiting for one of you to speak. you were excited over a certain vote and he said, really? how can you tell? >> well i learned a lot more by listening. so i start out by listening and i think about what i want to say before i do it. it is fair to say that i am in the era of trump, probably very different in my approach to public affairs. host: senate republican leader mitch mcconnell, who has served in that position as republican

leaders since 2006 has said that he will no longer have the top post, starting in november. we are getting your reaction to that this warning. new york, democratic caller. caller: good morning, america. mitch mcconnell is a master of the sidestep. his strategy has essentially been, as opposition leader, and obstructionist. he intentionally and openly, not only stacked the courts, as a strategy to push a particular agenda that is more or less coming from the federal society. in the process of doing that, he has created a separate port that everyone knows, by obstructing

obama from putting in a relatively conservative judge, who was more neutral. he did it intentionally with a smile on his face. he mocked it on several occasions. the man is elderly. the subject had never been brought up about him. he does have chinese connections. and his wealth basically comes from that trade. i would say it is business with the chinese, but it is very good business and almost a monopoly on trade to a degree. the man has a history. many would say you cannot put lipstick on a pig, the old political saying, but i think he gets away with it. in many ways, the supreme court sidestepping the supreme court,

which is a decision to allow trump for immunity to prosecution is another obstruction of justice that gets sidestepped by institutional profiling, so to speak, as to what the constitution allows to happen. but it is the lowball approach to doing things. host: ok. and going to leave it there and go to earl. your turn. caller: [indiscernible] this world is so screwed up. host: i apologize. maybe you can call back on a different line, but we were hearing every other word there. next caller, republican. your turn.

you have to mute your television. caller: i was wondering if we were going to have a government shutdown tomorrow by midnight. host: we will bring that to you. this is from usa today, avoiding a government shutdown. they have agreed to a agreement to kick the can down the road to fund the government once again to avoid government shutdown as a struggle to reach a consensus. the extension referred to as a continuing resolution will fund parts of the government through march 8. it is to buy leaders more time to come up with an agreement. we will talk about that, coming up on the washington journal.

he will get your chance to call in and ask about this. also happening today, dueling appearances on the border. president biden will be there and so will the former president, donald trump. they say they will be going to a spot that is relatively calm. mr. trump will be in eagle pass where the situation is hot and heavy. they placed a floating wall and ordered troops to take over a local part to stop leave of migrants. this will be president biden's second visit to the border. for coverage, go to c-span.org. larry and california. democratic caller. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call.

we are still talking about mitch mcconnell. when mitch mcconnell first said let's make barack obama a one term president, that was the turning point to where be in this country saw that the republican party will only be about what they want. it will not be about what the country needs. he was one of the best for the republican party, but he was the worst for the american people. to cm leaving, i am happy to see him go. i cannot lie about that. he was just such a destruction for the country. and we cannot keep going on like this. someway, somehow, they have to

reach a turning point. not even discrediting trump, who is now here and telling the country. he is the divisiveness that is coming from the republican party now. he knows he is leaving in a disgraceful way. he did so many things that turned this country against everything. host: donna, independent. caller: i think he must be doing something right because a lot of democrats and republicans do not like him. i actually like him. i am a true independent. i have voted democrat and republican. i voted more democrat than republican, but i like him. i think he is great.

he gets a lot of stuff, but it was legal. he is a politician. the democrats would have done the same thing. like i said, just in the interview about him seeing senator clay as a mentor, he likes to listen because he learns and compromise is essential. i believe he is a true statesman and i hate to see them leave, but the older people sometimes do need to leave. have a good day. host: more from the floor with mitch mcconnell. remarks following the vote to acquit former president trump. here is what mitch mcconnell had to say about his actions. [video clip] >> january 6 was a disgrace. american citizens attacked their own government.

they used terrorism to stop a specific piece of domestic business that they did not like. so americans beat and bloodied our own police. they stormed the senate floor. they tried to hunt down the speaker of the house. they built a gallows and chanted about murdering the vice president. they did this because they had been fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on earth. because he was angry and lost an election. former president trump's actions were a disgraceful dereliction of duty.