In a recent radio interview, President Donald J. Trump cleared the record on his recent endorsement of Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), emphasizing that while he had endorsed McCarthy’s re-election bid, he had not endorsed McCarthy in the race for the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.
As reported by the Washington Examiner, President Trump made the statement in an interview with talk radio host Wayne Allyn Root. After Root said that Trump had endorsed McCarthy for speaker, Trump interjected with “No, I haven’t. No, no, no, I haven’t.”
“No, I endorsed him in his race,” Trump clarified. “But I haven’t endorsed anybody for speaker.”
In his endorsement of McCarthy about two weeks ago, Trump called McCarthy a “strong and fearless Leader of the House Republican Conference,” offering support for his re-election to California’s 20th congressional district.
McCarthy has fallen out of favor with some conservatives in recent weeks and months, with the primary criticism being his handling of the peaceful protests at the U.S. Capitol January 6th, and its subsequent aftermath; leaked conversations seem to suggest that McCarthy has been more critical of Trump behind the scenes than he has been publicly.
Later in the interview, Root asked Trump if he was open to the idea of being Speaker of the House himself. It has been noted that, although every Speaker in the history of the House has been an elected representative, one technically does not have to be a member of Congress in order to serve as Speaker.
In response, Trump said that he had “great relationships” in the House, and that he would “talk to you about that at a later date.” When Root asked if Trump would run for President again in 2024, Trump once again gave his most common reply: That people would be “happy” with his decision.