Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Fox News on Thursday that he would "absolutely" support Donald Trump if the former president is the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.

The big picture: Trump has not officially said whether he will run in 2024, but as Axios' Mike Allen reports, the former president "plans to send the message [during his CPAC speech on Sunday] that he is the Republicans' 'presumptive 2024 nominee' with a vise grip on the party's base."

What he's saying: "There's a lot to happen between now and '24. I've got four members, I think, that are planning on running for president, plus governors and others," McConnell told Fox News' Bret Baier.

• "It should be a wide open race," he added.
• But when asked whether he'd support Trump if he was the Republican presidential nominee, McConnell said, "absolutely."

Flashback: After voting to acquit Trump during his second impeachment trial earlier this month, McConnell condemned the former president as "practically and morally responsible for provoking the events" of the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol siege.

Worth noting: Earlier this week, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) predicted Trump would win the GOP presidential nomination "in a landslide" if he decided to run again.

Go deeper: Trump to claim total control of GOP