House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has so far refused to endorse former President Trump for the 2024 presidential election.
In response to reporters asking him whether he would be endorsing Trump, McCarthy responded by telling the reporters “You guys are crazy.” On Tuesday night Trump announced that he would be seeking another term in the White House. This is even though many Trump-backed candidates performed badly in the midterm elections and lost their races.
Regarding Trump’s announcement, McCarthy said that he thought Trump gave a great speech. Some loyal supporters of Trump on Capitol Hill immediately supported his run, but many others in the GOP said that they would not be supporting him. McCarthy, though, has refused to answer the question of whether he would back Trump up.
It is clear that Trump’s influence is waning, and many are currently blaming him for the party’s loss in the 2022 midterm elections.
McCarthy is also currently facing some hard challenges himself, as he barely managed to retain control of his leadership position against Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), a far-right lawmaker. This means that he will be the GOP nominee for Speaker now that the Republicans have officially secured the House majority.
In order to win the Speaker role he is going to need 218 votes when the new Congress begins in January.
