Mitch McConnell is the 'loneliest man in Washington' as another ally casts him aside for Trump: CNN

During a CNN panel discussing Donald Trump's Saturday night Iowa rally that saw Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) proudly accept the endorsement of the former president, one panelist claimed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is quickly become the "loneliest man in Washington" as his GOP colleagues side with Trump.

Speaking with host Phil Mattingly, CNN correspondent Eva McKend said that the 88-year-old Grassley's appearance at the rally and his praise of Trump was an interesting choice at the end of a career -- and that it also puts him at odds with McConnell.

"If you're a current elected official or running in a primary, you are desperately seeking and hoping for the former president's support. Is that the correct read right now? They feel like they don't have another choice?" host Mattingly asked.

"He feels like he needs it," McKend explained. "At 88 years old, I think he would principally be concerned about his own legacy, he would want to be remembered for his own work he's done in Congress and I think a lot of people will tie him to Trump and Trumpism."

"It's an interesting choice and it's a choice he feels like he has to make," she observed. "I mean, look at the party. And I also think about look at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: where does that leave him? Now he's the loneliest man in Washington, right? Every Republican sort of has to bend to Trump."

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