McConnell Defends Free Trade
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is stepping down from leadership but remaining in the Senate, defended free trade in a speech in his home state last week.
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McConnell is out of step with "America First"-style Republicans, such as Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, in his assertions that America should be engaged in the world, both militarily and economically.
McConnell said that when the U.S. participates in the international order on trade, it supports prosperity at home, such as when Kentucky bourbon makers export, or when Kentucky auto plants import parts. "We often forget that Toyota itself is a Japanese company that has invested billions of dollars into our economy, providing nearly 10,000 jobs in central Kentucky," he said. "All of this runs on the premise of a set of rules -- rules underpinned by American leadership that guarantee secure and sustained access to global markets and freedom of navigation of strategic sea lanes and trade routes."