Former House Speaker John Boehner said Sunday that he would set himself “on fire” rather than run for office again.
Boehner made the claim in jest while appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” alongside host Chuck Todd, who had asked him about his vote for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. (RELATED: John Boehner Says Mark Meadows Got On His Knees And Asked Him For Forgiveness)
“You made it clear you voted for President Trump for re-election. You made that decision, in fairness, before January 6th. After watching what you saw happen on January 6th, you still comfortable with that vote?” Todd asked, referring to the storming of the Capitol by supporters of Trump following his claims of election fraud.
Boehner explained that he was disappointed with Trump’s claims about the election being stolen, and that he looked for evidence of election fraud but didn’t see any. He added that Jan. 6 was “one of the saddest days” of his life, before going on to say that his focus now was to make sure the Republican Party goes back to the principles “of what it means to be a Republican,” such as “fiscal responsibility” and “a strong national defense.”
Todd then asked if Boehner would ever run for office again, to which he responded, “I’d rather set myself on fire than to run for office again.”
Todd began laughing and said he expected an answer just like that from Boehner, which is why he asked the question.
“You’re a sh*t! You’re a sh*t!” Boehner responded jokingly.
“I assume I’m getting that as a compliment. I’ll take that as a backhanded compliment,” Todd concluded, laughing.