Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz called former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker of the House “Sad!” in a Wednesday statement.
Gaetz, who has been one of Trump’s biggest supporters and one of McCarthy’s biggest critics, responded to Trump’s Wednesday morning endorsement of McCarthy after the California Republican failed to receive the 218 votes he needed to become speaker. Trump supported McCarthy early in his bid for the speakership but stayed mostly quiet throughout the day Tuesday as McCarthy failed to receive enough votes after three ballots.
“Some really good conversations took place last night, and it’s now time for all of our GREAT Republican House Members to VOTE FOR KEVIN,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Sad!” Gaetz said in a Wednesday statement to Fox News in response to Trump’s continued endorsement. “This changes neither my view of McCarthy, nor Trump, nor my vote.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) receives the gavel from Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) during the first session of the 116th Congress at the U.S. Capitol January 03, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY, & WATCH CRAZY NANCY PELOSI FLY BACK HOME TO A VERY BROKEN CALIFORNIA,THE ONLY SPEAKER IN U.S. HISTORY TO HAVE LOST THE ‘HOUSE’ TWICE! REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT. IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE, YOU DESERVE IT,” Trump added. (RELATED: GOP Infighting Hits Fever Pitch Ahead Of Speaker Vote)
With 222 Republican representatives, McCarthy can afford only four defections. There are 20 votes against McCarthy as of Wednesday morning. The Speaker-designate received 202 Republican votes during Tuesday’s third ballot, with the other GOP votes going to Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan. (RELATED: ‘In Chaos, Anything Is Possible’: Ocasio-Cortez Speaks Out About Her Talks With Reps. Gosar, Gaetz)
Republicans will resume voting for a new speaker on Wednesday.