Why Trump's House GOP allies are snubbing his public plea to make Kevin McCarthy speaker
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has now lost six straight votes for House speaker, thanks to committed opposition from a core group of House Republicans, most of them in the hard-right Freedom Caucus and most allied with former President Donald Trump.
Trump has been privately calling them for weeks to urge their support for McCarthy's speakership bid, Politico and The Washington Post report, and on Wednesday morning — before McCarthy's latest three losing votes — Trump made his plea public in a post on Truth Social that was also emailed around by this 2024 presidential campaign.
"VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY," Trump wrote.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Sad!" responded "Never Kevin" leader Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a staunch Trump ally, in a statement to Fox News. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said on the House floor, while nominating someone other than McCarthy, that Trump had called her and her Never-Kevin allies to "tell us we need to knock this off," but instead he "needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that: Sir, you do not have the votes and it's time to withdraw."
Boebert "dissed him, essentially," Anderson Cooper said on CNN Wednesday evening. Ultimately, "this says more about McCarthy than it does about Trump," New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman agreed, "but it's not a good sign for Trump; he appears weak, and he didn't have to. He jumped into this."
"Trump is popular with the base and he's popular with most of those House Republicans, but there's a huge difference between popular and powerful," CNN's John King said earlier Wednesday. "Trump is not powerful anymore," and these GOP allies "don't see him as powerful, they do not fear him." They like Trump, he said, but "the main thing they want is Kevin McCarthy's scalp."
The six successive losses are humiliating for McCarthy, but they also suggest "Trump's influence is all but over" in the Republican Party, conservative talk radio producer Duane Patterson tweeted. The Never-Kevin Republicans say they just disagree with Trump on this one, and that's okay. Trump allies outside the House say the former president is making only a half-hearted effort to push McCarthy over the finish line.
"I know a lot of people are focusing on Trump's 'waning influence' regarding this speaker vote," one person close to Trump told Politico. "I think it would be a different story if Trump was attacking someone and they still wouldn't budge. ... Trump hasn't gone full Trump mode."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'A speaker courageous enough to stand up to the extremists in his own party'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 18, 2024
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - impeachment Peanuts, record-breaking temperatures, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How will Israel respond to Iran's direct attack?
Speed Read Iran’s weekend attack on Israel could escalate into a wider Middle East war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published