Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reminisced about his time in Congress on Tuesday and predicted GOP success in November.
Asked whether he missed the chamber where he was ousted as speaker in October, the Bakersfield resident responded, “Some days, yes. Some people, no.”
“I loved every minute of every time I was in office. Good days, bad days,” McCarthy said during an interview with Wall Street Journal Editor-at-Large Gerard Baker at the Milken Institute’s annual conference in Beverly Hills. “The sad part is it’s much more broken now.”
McCarthy continued his feud with Rep. Matt Gaetz, saying the Florida Republican engineered his ouster solely to block a House investigation into his relationship with a teenage girl.
“That’s what he wanted to stop and he’s willing to risk the House for it, and Democrats went along. He was successful,” he said, before adding that a brewing effort to oust his successor, House Speaker Mike Johnson “is different. This won’t be successful.”
There’s no obvious successor, McCarthy said. Republicans don’t want to harm their chances of holding onto control of the House, while Democrats want to avoid a slowdown of government that would reflect on President Biden.
McCarthy predicted that Trump would win the White House in November because of President Biden’s reduced favorability ratings, and named North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders as potential running mates.
“I think Trump’s gonna play this like ‘Apprentice.’ He’s gonna play it out. He’s gonna make you join Truth” Social, the former president’s social media platform, McCarthy said. “He’s gonna make you follow it. And whoever you think’s in the lead, somebody’s gonna come up from behind. It’s gonna make great television. And you’re all gonna pay attention the day he announces.”