Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has committed to backing former President Donald Trump’s run for president. During a Sunday interview on CBS, he was asked if he thinks Trump will be the Republican Party’s nominee, and he answered, “yes.”
“In the Republican Party? Yes. And if Biden stays as the nominee for the Democrats, I believe Donald Trump will win,” he stated, further predicting that Republicans will gain House seats and secure a majority in the Senate if Trump becomes the GOP’s nominee and wins the election.
In response to a question on whether Trump can count on his support, McCarthy said, “Yes.”
When the host tried to clarify if that was an endorsement, he responded, “I will support the president. I will support President Trump.”
McCarthy also expressed a willingness to serve in Trump’s cabinet, pointing out that they have a relationship where they are honest with one another.
Kevin McCarthy Endorses Trump For President, Open To DC Return https://t.co/KsbIW56SKw
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) December 9, 2023
In his words, “In the right position. Look, if I’m the best person for the job. Yes. Look, I worked with President Trump on a lot of policies. We worked together to win the majority. But we also have a relationship where we’re very honest with one another.”
McCarthy’s endorsement of Trump comes after he refused to endorse the GOP front runner while he was speaker. In an interview with CNN last month, he also fell short of outrightly endorsing Trump, even though he expressed support for him.
“I haven’t endorsed, but I support President Trump,” he said.
When asked why he had not endorsed Trump yet during an NBC interview, he suggested that there were more important things to focus on. Responding to a question about him being a MAGA Republican, he said, “I am a conservative Republican from the beginning to the end and that’s what I’ve always been. You can try to phrase different names to people, but I am proud of who I am.”
Trump, who has secured major endorsement including that of , has consistently led other candidates in the polls. A Wall Street Journal poll shows he has 59% support among potential Republican voters in a virtual primary election. Others trailed far behind him, with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley securing second place with 15% support and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis having 14% support.