Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump argued that the next speaker of the House should be someone who is “very tough and can negotiate with the Democrats.”
He also said that he is unsure if Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is that person Friday on “Morning Joe.” (RELATED: Kevin McCarthy’s Benghazi Moment)
“I don’t know him, but certainly he is not off to a great start,” Trump said, referring to McCarthy’s remarks about the Benghazi committee’s role in damaging Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers.
“It would have been nice if he didn’t say it certainly, because then there would be no dispute and you get on with Benghazi as a very serious group of people that have been working on for a long time,” he said.
Bloomberg Politics managing editor Mark Halperin then pressed Trump if McCarthy should be the next speaker.
“We need somebody that’s a very, very tough, smart cunning person,” Trump replied. “I don’t know that that’s him, and obviously this statement hurt him pretty badly in the eyes of some, unfortunately.”