This is McConnell unplugged, three weeks into the Trump administration, and his new role as no longer the Senate GOP leader but one of 100 senators. It is testing the strength, but also the limits, of his influence on the institution, where he has been a monumental presence for nearly 40 years.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) spent 18 years as Senate Republican leader corralling his members to fall in line. Now, unshackled from those responsibilities and likely headed for the chamber’s exit doors,