www.washingtonpost.com Open in urlscan Pro
104.64.160.155  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Accessibility statementSkip to main content

Democracy Dies in Darkness
SubscribeSign in


Advertisement


Close
The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness
PoliticsBiden administration The 202s Polling Democracy in America Election 2024
PoliticsBiden administration The 202s Polling Democracy in America Election 2024



MCCARTHY PRIVATELY RECOUNTS TERSE PHONE CALL WITH TRUMP AFTER OUSTER


DURING THE CALL, FORMER PRESIDENT DETAILED THE REASONS HE HADN’T INTERVENED
DURING THE EFFORT TO REMOVE MCCARTHY AS SPEAKER

By Jacqueline Alemany
and 
Leigh Ann Caldwell
Updated November 30, 2023 at 9:10 a.m. EST|Published November 30, 2023 at 5:30
a.m. EST

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), left, and former president Donald Trump.
(lizabeth Frantz for The Washington Post; Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/The
Washington Post)

Listen
6 min

Share
Comment on this storyComment3849
Add to your saved stories
Save

In the weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, then-House
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) traveled down to Donald Trump’s
Mar-a-Lago Club and threw a lifeline to the former president, who was under a
cloud of controversy for provoking the historic assault.


Keeping up with politics is easy with The 5-Minute Fix Newsletter, in your inbox
weekdays.ArrowRight


The fence-mending session between the two Republican leaders ended with a photo
op of the two men, grinning side by side in a gilded, frescoed room. The
stunning turnabout of the House GOP leader, who had previously blamed Trump for
the deadly attack, paved the way for the former president’s return to de facto
leader of the Republican Party.



When the tables were turned almost three years later, however, Trump did not
return the favor.

Story continues below advertisement



During a phone call with McCarthy weeks after his historic Oct. 3 removal as
House speaker, Trump detailed the reasons he had declined to ask Rep. Matt Gaetz
(R-Fla.) and other hard-right lawmakers to back off their campaign to oust the
California Republican from his leadership position, according to people familiar
with the exchange who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to
disclose a private conversation.

Advertisement


During the call, Trump lambasted McCarthy for not expunging his two impeachments
and not endorsing him in the 2024 presidential campaign, according to people
familiar with the conversation.

“F--- you,” McCarthy claimed to have then told Trump, when he rehashed the call
later to other people in two separate conversations, according to the people. A
spokesperson for McCarthy said that he did not swear at the former president and
that they have a good relationship. A spokesperson for Trump declined to
comment.

Story continues below advertisement



The transactional — and at times tumultuous — relationship has seemingly endured
despite McCarthy’s ouster. The two continue to speak and text, according to
people with knowledge of the relationship.

McCarthy has previously grappled with discrepancies between his private,
disparaging comments about Trump to others and his continued fealty to the
former president. In her new book, former congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.)
accused McCarthy of repeatedly lying about his relationship with Trump after the
Jan. 6 attack. Cheney writes that when she pressed McCarthy about why he visited
Trump at Mar-a-Lago, McCarthy claimed that he was summoned by the former
president’s staff out of concern for his well-being.

Advertisement


“They’re really worried. … Trump’s not eating, so they asked me to come see
him,” McCarthy told Cheney, according to CNN.

Story continues below advertisement



During McCarthy’s prolonged fight for the speakership in January, Trump assisted
him in clinching the gavel by leaning on some of the holdouts, which he later
claimed credit for on social media. But during the Gaetz-orchestrated ouster
effort, Trump remained relatively quiet. After McCarthy was removed as speaker,
Gaetz indicated in an interview that Trump was supportive of his actions.

Share this articleShare

“I would say that my conversations with the former president leave me with great
confidence that I’m doing the right thing,” Gaetz said.

On Oct. 3, the Republican-led House ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from
the speakership, in a charge led by a minority of his own caucus. (Video:
Michael Cadenhead/The Washington Post)

McCarthy has not endorsed Trump or any other candidate for president. But he had
always planned to endorse Trump around the Iowa caucuses next year, at a time
McCarthy thought the endorsement mattered, according to people familiar with his
plans. He told Trump during the call that he was unable to endorse him earlier
because he feared that some of his donors would have rescinded their support if
he put his thumb on the scale early in the 2024 presidential race, according to
a person briefed on the conversation. McCarthy indicated to others that he also
withheld his endorsement to protect some of the more vulnerable members of the
House Republican conference, another person added.

Advertisement

Story continues below advertisement



Whether McCarthy will remain in public office is unclear, as he has privately
indicated to allies that he has started exploring a career beyond the halls of
Congress, according to people familiar with his thinking. The former speaker
faces a Dec. 8 filing deadline, with a five-day leniency period offered to
incumbents, to decide whether he will seek another term in 2024.

“If I decide to run again, I have to know in my heart that I’m giving 110
percent. I have to know that I want to do that,” McCarthy said at an event
Wednesday. “I also have to know if I’m going to walk away, that I’m going to be
fine with walking away.”

Since his ouster, he has taken a no-holds-barred approach to the people who
facilitated his removal from leadership, unloading on individual lawmakers in
public interviews. McCarthy and his allies have at times used their power and
deep coffers to weed out Republican incumbents who caused headaches in
Washington, or were misaligned with McCarthy’s interests. This month, McCarthy
said in an interview with CNN that Gaetz should face consequences for his
actions and predicted that Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), one of the eight lawmakers
who joined Gaetz, would lose reelection for her “flip-flopping.”

Advertisement

Story continues below advertisement



McCarthy, a prolific fundraiser, has said he’d continue to assist with the
party’s fundraising efforts as the new speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.),
establishes himself in the role. On Thursday, McCarthy’s top fundraiser and
confidant, Jeff Miller, will host a fundraiser for the Johnson Leadership Fund,
charging $10,000 to attend, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by
The Washington Post. Miller, who has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for
House Republicans since McCarthy became House minority leader, previously told
The Post that he would start fundraising for Johnson’s team.

But it’s unclear to what extent McCarthy will personally be involved with
fundraising for the House GOP conference going forward. And concerns remain
about whether Johnson will be able to re-create McCarthy’s fundraising
juggernaut that helped win back the House in 2022 — and will be necessary for
Republicans to retain power going into the 2024 election season. To date,
McCarthy has funneled $35 million in direct contributions to the House GOP
campaign effort since January and has sent a total of $23.8 million to the
National Republican Congressional Committee and state parties this cycle.

Trump, meanwhile, has in part dragged down the party’s fundraising efforts as he
maintains front-runner status in its presidential primary. The Post previously
reported that big-dollar donors have cut back on issuing big checks to the NRCC
in recent years because they did not want the money being used to help Trump.

Share
3849 Comments



Loading...


Subscribe to comment and get the full experience. Choose your plan →


Advertisement



Advertisement

TOP STORIES
Politics
Reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House
Analysis|Liz Cheney’s 2024 campaign mission: Defeat House Republicans


Analysis|Haley surges, DeSantis stumbles. That’s the narrative. Is it that
simple?


Trump camp escalates attempt to limit second-term talk from outside allies


Refresh
Try a different topic

Sign in or create a free account to save your preferences
Advertisement


Advertisement

Company
About The Post Newsroom Policies & Standards Diversity & Inclusion Careers Media
& Community Relations WP Creative Group Accessibility Statement Sitemap
Get The Post
Become a Subscriber Gift Subscriptions Mobile & Apps Newsletters & Alerts
Washington Post Live Reprints & Permissions Post Store Books & E-Books Print
Archives (Subscribers Only) Today’s Paper Public Notices Coupons
Contact Us
Contact the Newsroom Contact Customer Care Contact the Opinions Team Advertise
Licensing & Syndication Request a Correction Send a News Tip Report a
Vulnerability
Terms of Use
Digital Products Terms of Sale Print Products Terms of Sale Terms of Service
Privacy Policy Cookie Settings Submissions & Discussion Policy RSS Terms of
Service Ad Choices
washingtonpost.com © 1996-2023 The Washington Post
 * washingtonpost.com
 * © 1996-2023 The Washington Post
 * About The Post
 * Contact the Newsroom
 * Contact Customer Care
 * Request a Correction
 * Send a News Tip
 * Report a Vulnerability
 * Download the Washington Post App
 * Policies & Standards
 * Terms of Service
 * Privacy Policy
 * Cookie Settings
 * Print Products Terms of Sale
 * Digital Products Terms of Sale
 * Submissions & Discussion Policy
 * RSS Terms of Service
 * Ad Choices
 * Coupons









WE CARE ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY

We and our 38 partners store and/or access information on a device, such as
unique IDs in cookies to process personal data. You may accept or manage your
choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate
interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. These choices will
be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data.


WE AND OUR PARTNERS PROCESS DATA TO PROVIDE:

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use limited data to
select advertising. Store and/or access information on a device. Use limited
data to select content. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and
content measurement, audience research and services development. List of
Partners (vendors)

I Accept Reject All Show Purposes