Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the recently ousted speaker of the House, said he’s supporting former President Donald Trump’s re-election bid, adding that he would accept the right cabinet position if Trump offered.
During an interview with CBS set to air on Sunday morning, McCarthy was asked if he believes Trump will be the Republican nominee and if he is supporting the former president. The congressman didn’t hesitate with his answer, confident that Trump will win the nomination and a general election rematch against President Joe Biden.
“And if Biden stays as the nominee for the Democrats, I believe Donald Trump will win,” McCarthy said. “I believe Republicans will gain more seats in the House, and the Republicans will win the Senate.”
“Can [Trump] count on your support?” CBS News Correspondent Robert Costa asked, to which McCarthy quickly replied, “Yes.”
“That’s an endorsement?” Costa pressed.
“I will support President Trump,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy’s political future is up in the air after he was ousted by his colleagues from his speaker role last month and then announced he will be retiring from Congress at the end of the year.
“I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways. I know my work is only getting started,” McCarthy said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Wednesday.
While the California Republican didn’t get into any details about what his next move will be, his interview with CBS confirmed that he is open to becoming a part of a potential second Trump administration if it’s “the right position.”
“If I’m the best person, yes. Look, I worked with President Trump on a lot of policies. We worked together to win the majority, but we also have a relationship where we’re very honest with one another,” McCarthy added.
In January, Trump supported McCarthy in his bid to take the speaker’s gavel, which ultimately lasted 15 rounds of voting before conservative hardliners agreed to vote in favor of McCarthy as long as there was only a one-vote threshold required to begin proceedings to unseat him. Throughout his battle to become speaker, McCarthy had the support of the former president, who even referred to him as “my Kevin.”
In July and then again in October, McCarthy declined to publicly throw his support behind Trump in the Republican primary but said he believed Trump would be the nominee. A few weeks later, McCarthy was ousted as speaker in an effort that was led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). The former president stayed relatively quiet during the House Republican drama over McCarthy’s speakership, but said he “did not” encourage Gaetz to push for McCarthy’s ouster.
Later, Trump appeared to express frustration with Republicans during the battle over the speakership.
“Why is it that Republicans are always fighting among themselves, why aren’t they fighting the Radical Left Democrats who are destroying our country?” Trump asked.
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