Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSenate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally MORE (R-Ky.) noted following the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court on Friday that last year's vacant seat on the high court played a major role in the election of President Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE.

"At the end, this issue more than any other, elected Donald Trump, because, at the end, you had two candidates who were overwhelmingly unpopular," McConnell told The Washington Examiner.

"Nobody was predicting Trump would get 90 percent of the Republican vote just like Mitt Romney did, but he did. And the single biggest reason was, they wanted him to make the Supreme Court appointment, not Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Virginia Democrat blasts Trump's 'appalling' remark about COVID-19 deaths in 'blue states' The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally MORE."

McConnell reportedly told the Examiner that he wasn't sure blocking the nomination of Merrick Garland, former President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaGOP senator blocks Schumer resolution aimed at Biden probe as tensions run high D-Day for Trump: September 29 Obama says making a voting plan is part of 'how to quarantine successfully' MORE's nominee to fill the seat last year, would pay off – but was glad he stuck by his plan.

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"This call was made in February. We didn't know who our nominee was going to be yet," McConnell said, referring to his decision in February 2016 to call for the winner of the November election to nominate a justice, not Obama.

Senate Republicans' refusal last year to hold a hearing or vote on Garland – Obama's pick to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia – angered Democrats, who remain bitter over the decision.

"What I did not predict was that we would nominate somebody who a lot of Republicans questioned whether he was a Republican," McConnell continued, referring to Trump.

"I mean after all, Donald Trump was having fundraisers for [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer Chuck SchumerDemocrats scramble on COVID-19 relief amid division, Trump surprise Pelosi, Schumer 'encouraged' by Trump call for bigger coronavirus relief package Schumer, Sanders call for Senate panel to address election security MORE [D-N.Y.] four or five years ago."

The Senate on Friday voted to confirm Gorsuch to the Supreme Court after Republicans invoked the so-called nuclear option to prevent a Democratic filibuster and confirm him with a simple majority.

Gorsuch will be sworn in on Monday at the White House.