Washington DC - Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell endorsed presidential candidate Donald Trump, despite years of being harshly critical of him.

According to CNBC, McConnell shared news of his support in a statement on Wednesday, following Trump's sweeping victory on Super Tuesday and defeat of his last standing challenger in the race, Nikki Haley.

"It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States," McConnell wrote.

"It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support."

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McConnell went on to say that during Trump's presidency, they "worked together to accomplish great things," the most important being the appointment of several conservative Supreme Court justices.

"I look forward to the opportunity of switching from playing defense against the terrible policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared towards making a real difference in improving the lives of the American people," he added.

McConnell's support comes after he announced last week that he would be stepping down from his position as leader this year after 17 years of holding the position.

The endorsement did come as a surprise to some, as both McConnell and Trump have publicly criticized each other over the years on countless occasions.

Following the January 6 Capitol riots, McConnell most notably blamed Trump specifically for the violence that took place that day.

While giving a speech on the Senate floor, he declared that there was "no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day."

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Trump has repeatedly insulted McConnell and his wife, Coco Chow, accusing them of being "puppets to China" because of Chow's heritage.

Haley suspended her campaign early Wednesday, effectively making Trump the Republican Party's nominee in the general election, where he faces a likely rematch against Democratic President Joe Biden.