Republicans Deride Trump’s Boast He Swayed Speaker Vote For Kevin McCarthy: Report
Republican resisters against Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R.Calif.) Speaker of the House earlier this year derided former President Donald Trump’s attempt to take credit for the lawmaker’s eventual victory, ABC News reported Friday.
Trump smiled that he “greatly helped” McCarthy finally win the position as a speaker. “I did the country a big favor!” Trump gushed on his Truth Social platform following reports he worked the phones to get some movement before the hard-fought 15th and final vote.
McCarthy thanked Trump after his victory with a video clip Trump also posted to Truth Social.
“He was with me from the beginning,” McCarthy said. “He was all in. He would call me, and he would call others.” He credited Trump with “helping get those final votes.”
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), a staunch McCarthy foe, told ABC News that “President Trump had no influence on the votes, myself or any of my colleagues.”
Good said he finally voted for McCarthy only when it “became clear that it was inevitable that Mr. McCarthy was going to become speaker, and I saw no reason to prolong that through the weekend.”
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) also told ABC that Trump “didn’t have anything” to do with his ultimate decision to back McCarthy. “In fact, I disagreed with him getting involved” in the battle, Norman said.
Norman and Good were among the first five informal members. “Never Kevin” group ABC reported that McCarthy opposed it. The group eventually grew and now includes 20 House Republicans.
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) He also maintained that Trump was not to blame for his vote for McCarthy.
“My decision was based on the voters of Montana and to support the Constitution,” Rosendale said. “I was meeting and listening to my constituents, and my effort was always focused on making sure we had a much more open process.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) dodged the question of Trump’s effect on the vote, telling ABC: “I’m just ready to go forward together.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) insisted that Trump “certainly had influence in the process.” He was the only lawmaker who spoke to ABC who took that position, the network noted.
Whether or not Trump turned the vote for McCarthy is important to Republicans’ perception of Trump’s continuing influence in the party.
Trump, who had previously supported McCarthy as a speaker, was disappointed by his initial weak support for McCarthy. Even though he appeared to retract his endorsement, McCarthy was defeated in every vote.
Just days before McCarthy won, Trump appeared to let him twist in the wind after he’d lost three rounds of votes. Asked on NBC News if he would continue to support the California Republican, Trump responded: “Let’s see what happens.”
He added: “I got everybody calling me wanting my support.”
After McCarthy won, Trump took the credit.