Republican holdouts against making Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) Speaker of the House earlier this month derided former President Donald Trump’s attempt to take credit for the lawmaker’s eventual victory, ABC News reported Friday.
Trump crowed that “it helped a lot” McCarthy finally won the position as speaker. “I’m doing great country!” Trump ran on the Truth Social platform after reports he was working on the phone to get some moves before the 15th and final vote.
McCarthy thanked Trump after the victory with a video clip that Trump later posted on Truth Social.
“He was with me from the beginning,” McCarthy said. “They all come in. They’ll call me, and they’ll call other people.” He credited Trump with “helping get that last vote.”
But Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), a staunch opponent of McCarthy, told ABC News that “President Trump has no influence on the votes, me or my colleagues.”
Good said he finally voted for McCarthy only when it “became clear that it must be something that Mr. McCarthy will be the speaker, and I don’t see any reason to prolong that over the weekend.”
Rep. Ralph Norman (RS.C.) also told ABC that Trump “had nothing” to do with the final decision to end McCarthy. “Actually, I don’t agree with him getting involved” in the war, Norman said.
Both Good and Norman were among the first five members of the informal “Don’t Kevin” group opposing McCarthy, ABC noted. The group ended up being 20 House Republicans.
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) also emphasized that Trump had nothing to do with his final vote for McCarthy.
“My decision is based on the voters of Montana and supporting the Constitution,” Rosendale said. “I meet and listen to my constituents, and my efforts are always focused on making sure we have a more open process.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) dodged the question of Trump’s effect on the vote, telling ABC: “I’m just ready to move forward together.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) insisted that Trump “definitely has an impact on the process.” He was the only lawmaker who spoke to ABC who took that position, the network noted.
Whether Trump chooses McCarthy or not is important to Republican perceptions of Trump’s continued influence over the party.
The initial support for McCarthy was a blow to Trump, who has been supporting lawmakers for speaker. He even appeared to be backing down as McCarthy lost vote after vote.
Just days before McCarthy’s win, Trump appeared to be letting her play with the wind after she lost three rounds of votes. Asked on NBC News if he would continue to support the California Republican, Trump replied: “Let’s see what happens.”
He added: “I’m asking everyone for support.”
After McCarthy won, Trump got the credit.