The conduct of California Republican Kevin McCarthy as House speaker has been a mixed bag. As the legislative leader of a caucus with factions spanning from MAGA to RINO, perhaps inconsistency is inherent to the position.
McCarthy’s frequently direct approach to the media is, however, a consistent bright light. He has shown the ability to cut through media establishment spin with forthright, forceful statements.
The speaker did it again in an interview with Breitbart that was published on Tuesday. McCarthy essentially flipped the narrative fabricated by fake news that he downplayed Donald Trump’s prospects in the 2024 presidential election.
“Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016,” McCarthy told Breitbart.
He cited a poll conducted by Morning Consult and reported by Breitbart on Tuesday, which showed that Trump not only dominated the Republican field, but also led President Joe Biden in a head-to-head matchup.
After other news outlets had manipulated McCarthy’s earlier messaging, Breitbart published his remarks. McCarthy’s response to Breitbart clarified his actual remarks.
On Tuesday, CNN national correspondent Kristen Holmes tweeted a misleadingly edited version of McCarthy’s comments from CNBC’s Squawk Box.
Kevin McCarthy says he thinks Trump could win the GOP nomination, but doesnt know if Trump is “strongest” candidate for his party.
“Can he win that election? Yeah he can…the question is, is he the strongest to win the election, I don’t know that answer,” McCarthy says on CNBC— Kristen Holmes (@KristenhCNN) June 27, 2023
“Kevin McCarthy says he thinks Trump could win the GOP nomination, but doesn’t know if Trump is ‘strongest’ candidate for his party,” Holmes wrote in the Twitter post.
“‘Can he win that election? Yeah he can…the question is, is he the strongest to win the election, I don’t know that answer,’ McCarthy says on CNBC.”
As the Breitbart article described, “McCarthy was not, as Holmes framed it, saying he doubts Trump in a general election—he was answering two separate questions, first about a primary and then about general election viability.”
McCarthy, being the politician that he is, was cautious about presuming outcomes in advance and provided hypothetical examples.
McCarthy did confirm in the complete video that Trump could defeat Biden, and he also mentioned that Biden could defeat other unnamed candidates.
“Can Trump beat Biden? Yeah, he can beat Biden,” McCarthy said.
McCarth was unequivocal when asked if Trump’s nomination would be advantageous for the Republican Party.
“I think if you want to go sheer policy to policy, it’s not what’s good for Republicans, it’s what’s good for America,” he said. “Trump’s polices are better, straightforward, than Biden’s.”
McCarthy not only discussed Trump, but also indicated to Breitbart that he sees through the media and Biden administration’s antics.
“As usual, the media is attempting to drive a wedge between President Trump and House Republicans as our committees are holding Biden’s DOJ accountable for their two-tiered levels of justice,” McCarthy said.
“The only reason Biden is using his weaponized federal government to go after President Trump is because he is Biden’s strongest political opponent, as polling continues to show.”
More on this story via The Western Journal:
Earlier in June, McCarthy chastised the establishment media for the tone of their coverage. CONTINUE READING…
