McConnell said he has gotten the sense that the GOP nominee is "convinced it'll be a conservative administration." | AP Photo McConnell: Trump won't lose one GOP Senate seat

If the Republican Party loses its majority in the Senate, it won't be because Donald Trump is the presidential nominee, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell predicted Wednesday.

"Donald Trump won the nomination the old-fashioned way. He got more votes than anybody else. And I don't think we're gonna lose a single Senate seat because of Donald Trump," the Kentucky Republican told NBC News' Kelly O'Donnell. "We have a lot of incumbents up so we're very much on defense this cycle. But that was true no matter who the nominee was going to be. Each of them are very capable, very well-funded and, in my view, are gonna win."


As for how he feels about working with Trump, McConnell said he has gotten the sense that the GOP nominee is "convinced it'll be a conservative administration."

"I think his pragmatism" will help matters, McConnell said, "because it's pretty hard to make things happen if you're not pragmatic. If you're too rigidly ideological, you can't ever get an outcome. And so, I think his pragmatism compensates for his lack of experience. We've had plenty of experience and we'll help him with that."

Trump is becoming more of a traditional presidential candidate, McConnell observed, noting more scripted speeches and the selection of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.

"We're seeing a little more script and I think he's beginning to be a real presidential candidate," McConnell said. "I was also pleased at the selection of Mike Pence. That was reassuring to a lot of Republicans about what kind of administration a Trump administration would be. ... I think picking Mike reassured us all on that subject."

