Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is persistent in his efforts to ruffle House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s political feathers as the “firebrand” legislator continues pushing the idea that former President Donald Trump should be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, if and when House Republicans take control of that chamber of Congress.
During one of Rep. Gaetz’s “Firebrand” podcasts, the newly-married Republican congressmen had former Fox Newscaster Lou Dobbs on where the two men talked about needing new leadership in the Republican Party.
Dobbs blistered Leader McCarthy, calling him the dreaded “RINO” term.
“...It's a shame in my opinion that Kevin McCarthy wants to be Speaker when the Republicans win in November. It's outrageous. He is too much of a — I'll be kind, if not RINO, a middle-of-the-roader. I personally believe him to be outright, a RINO,” said Dobbs.
Dobbs even said that he would prefer Rep. Jim Jordan over Leader McCarthy as Speaker, if Trump did not come up for a vote, and he's not the only Republican going on Gaetz’s podcast to take a shot at Leader McCarthy.
Former Congressman and Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has also appeared on Gaetz’s show and landed a political jab or two on McCarthy, grading his leadership with a ‘D.’
“They’re not skating to where the puck is. And so I would give them a grade of a ‘D,'” said Meadows “I believe that on this tactic and strategy — listen, you need to make Democrats take tough votes. You need to make sure that when you’ve got them on the ropes that you don’t throw in the white towel.”
Gaetz himself has defied a potential McCarthy speakership by also suggesting that Freedom Caucus founder Jim Jordan would be a better leader than McCarthy.
Back in 2015, when Republicans controlled the House of Representatives, McCarthy’s efforts to replace Speaker John Boehner collapsed.
McCarthy shocked the caucus by dropping out as a result of a lack of support from members.
Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump wasn’t a big fan of McCarthy’s and swiftly took a victory lap after McCarthy dropped out of the race.
“I would like to see someone that’s very tough and that can negotiate with the Democrats, and I don’t know that he’s that person,” Trump said MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “We need somebody that’s a very, very tough, smart, cunning person. I don’t know that that’s him, and obviously this statement hurt him pretty badly in the eyes of some, unfortunately.”
Since then, McCarthy has made great strides in aligning himself with Trump, with many considering him as one of the former president’s biggest allies in the Congress, but Gaetz doesn’t believe that McCarthy’s loyalty lies with Trump.
Gaetz recently retweeted a tweet from civil rights attorney Leo Terrell where he stated,” Undisputed Fact: @Jim_Jordan and @mattgaetz have been loyal to #PresidentTrump. #mitchmcconnell and #KevinMcCarthy have not!
Republicans are expected to win back the majority in both chambers of Congress during the 2022 midterm elections, an event that would set the table for a 2024 re-election run for president by former President Trump.
