Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday explained that he refrains from criticizing Trump on television because he believes it’s inappropriate, and he is aware that such criticism “drives him crazy.” McCArhty made the comments during a discussion at the DealBook Summit.
“I do not criticize [Trump] on television because I don’t think it’s right, and I know it drives him crazy,” McCarthy told New York Times reporter Andrew Ross at the event.
McCarthy also shared that he and the former president have “an interesting relationship” and did not anticipate Trump’s support when he was removed from the position of Speaker. McCarthy asserted that America would be stronger with Trump as the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee and predicted Trump’s victory if Biden became the Democratic nominee.
However, when Sorkin challenged McCarthy’s optimism, referencing the former Speaker’s past criticism of Trump after the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, McCarthy clarified that he didn’t proclaim Trump would be a great president but asserted he would be better than the current leadership, aiming for an improved state of the country.
“I didn’t say he would be a great president,” McCarthy said, according to The Hill. “I said he’d be a better president than what we’re having. I said the country would be in a better place.”
In the course of the interview, McCarthy recommended Nikki Haley as a potential running mate for Trump, citing her rising popularity in recent polls and positioning her as a top alternative to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Republican primary. McCarthy believed Haley could play a crucial role in unifying the GOP base and attracting independent voters, ultimately contributing to Trump’s efforts to regain the presidency.
McCarthy underscored that a campaign focused on renewal, rebuilding, and restoration would lead to victory, while one centered on revenge would result in defeat. He emphasized that the ultimate arbiter of this direction would be Trump himself, not just the content of campaign ads.
“But this is a bigger question for Trump: If his campaign is about renew, rebuild and restore, he’ll win. If it’s about revenge, he’ll lose,” McCarthy declared. “The only person that’s going to determine that is – not his campaign ad – is him.”
