Senator Mitch McConnell, the longtime top Senate Republican, said on Wednesday that he would give up his spot as the party’s leader following the November elections, acknowledging that his Reaganite national security views had put him out of step with a party now headed by former President Donald J. Trump.
“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular time,” Mr. McConnell, who turned 82 last week, said in a speech on the Senate floor announcing his intentions. “I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them.”
His decision, reported earlier by The Associated Press, was not a surprise. Mr. McConnell suffered a serious fall last year and experienced some episodes where he momentarily froze in front of the media. He has also faced rising resistance within his ranks for his push to provide continued military assistance to Ukraine as well as his close-to-the-vest leadership style. And his toxic relationship with Mr. Trump, whom he blamed for the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol — after orchestrating his acquittal in an impeachment trial on charges of inciting an insurrection — put him profoundly at odds with the rest of his party.
Mr. McConnell had said that he would serve out his full Senate term ending in 2027, but had been more opaque about whether he would try to remain leader after November.
His announcement placed an end date on an extraordinary run for a congressional leader known for his legislative prowess and talent for obstructing major Democratic agenda items. Mr. McConnell is revered by many Republicans for thwarting efforts to weaken the influence of money in political campaigns, helping to stack the Supreme Court with conservative justices and attempting — albeit unsuccessfully — to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Democrats regarded him as a chief nemesis for the same reasons, and Mr. McConnell made it clear on Wednesday that he relished that notoriety.
“I still have enough gas in my tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics, and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they’ve become accustomed,” he said on the Senate floor, drawing applause.
The remarks followed a White House meeting on Tuesday where he strongly advocated congressional passage of a foreign aid bill that includes more than $60 billion in aid for Ukraine and urged Speaker Mike Johnson to put the proposal on the House floor. Usually reserved in those sessions, Mr. McConnell pushed to speak first on the subject, according to those in attendance, a sign of how seriously he takes the issue.
“I believe more strongly than ever that America’s global leadership is essential to preserving the shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan discussed,” Mr. McConnell said on the Senate floor.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader, said he anticipated that Mr. McConnell’s decision to step down would free him to push aggressively for the Ukraine aid.
“It is probably the case that on his way toward retirement, he’s going to work as hard as he can to make sure that the national security bill gets over the finish line in the House and the Senate to President Biden’s desk,” Mr. Jeffries said in an interview.
President Biden, a former Senate colleague who as vice president cut some notable legislative deals with Mr. McConnell during the Obama administration, said he was sorry to see him step aside.
“I’ve trusted him and we have a great relationship,” Mr. Biden said. “We fight like hell. But he has never, never, never misrepresented anything.”
Senator Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and majority leader, credited Mr. McConnell with stepping up in a bipartisan fashion during some difficult national episodes in recent years. He cited Mr. McConnell’s backing of significant pandemic aid, the certification of the 2020 presidential election and the Ukraine assistance, despite their differences on other issues.
“During my years in the Senate, Mitch McConnell and I rarely saw eye to eye when it came to our politics or our policy preferences,” Mr. Schumer said in a statement. “But I am very proud that we both came together in the last few years to lead the Senate forward at critical moments when our country needed us.”
His departure after the elections will touch off a contest to succeed him. Three senior Republicans — John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and John Barrasso of Wyoming — have already indicated they will seek the top leadership spot and it is possible that the far-right faction in the Senate will put forward its own candidate as well.
Mr. McConnell easily beat back a challenge to his leadership following the 2022 elections but discontent on the right was building over his push for the Ukraine aid and his initial support for a bipartisan border security proposal that quickly collapsed. Some of his fellow Republicans on the far right, such as Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, had called for him to step aside.
“I respect his judgment,” Mr. Cruz said after Mr. McConnell’s announcement. “He’s had a long and honorable tenure as Republican leader and he made the personal decision that it was time to move on.”
Other right-wing hard-liners were not so charitable. Noting Mr. McConnell’s recent cooperation with Mr. Schumer, the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus wrote derisively on social media: “Our thoughts are with our Democrat colleagues in the Senate on the retirement of their Co-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (D-Ukraine). No need to wait till November … Senate Republicans should IMMEDIATELY elect a *Republican* Minority Leader.”
Representative Matt Gaetz, the far-right Florida Republican who led the drive to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speaker’s chair, jubilantly listed him, Mr. McConnell and Ronna McDaniel — who stepped down as chairwoman of the Republican National Committee under pressure from Mr. Trump — as recent victims whom “We’ve now 86’d” in a far-right purge.
“Better days are ahead for the Republican Party,” he wrote on social media.
Mr. McConnell became the longest serving Senate leader in history at the start of this Congress, surpassing Mike Mansfield of Montana and fulfilling a personal goal.
Though he worked closely with Mr. Trump in placing conservative judges on the federal bench and three justices on the Supreme Court, Mr. McConnell broke with Mr. Trump over his refusal to acknowledge that President Biden had won the 2020 election and over the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, which Mr. McConnell blamed on Mr. Trump even though he voted against convicting him at his impeachment trial and barring him from holding office in the future.
In his remarks on Wednesday, Mr. McConnell also said the recent death of a close relative had given him pause for reflection.
“When you lose a loved one, particularly at a young age, there’s a certain introspection that accompanies the grieving process,” he said. “Perhaps it is God’s way of reminding you of your own life’s journey to prioritize the impact of the world that we will all inevitably leave behind.”
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