Former US House Speaker supports Trump's re-election

Former US House Speaker McCarthy said he supports former President Trump's re-election, after months of not siding with any candidate.

According to an excerpt of an interview with CBS Sunday Morning published on December 9, former US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expressed his hope that former President Donald Trump will be the Republican presidential candidate in the 2024 race to the White House.

"I will support former President Trump," Mr. McCarthy said, adding that if President Joe Biden is the Democratic candidate, Trump will be re-elected and the Republican Party will increase the number of seats in the House of Representatives, gaining control of the Senate next year.

Asked if he would be willing to join Mr Trump's new cabinet, McCarthy said he would.

"In the right position. If I'm the best person for the job, I'm willing. I worked with former President Trump on a lot of policy. We worked together and had a very sincere relationship," Mr. McCarthy said. The full content of the interview will be released on December 10.

Former US President Donald Trump (right) and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Photo: CNN — Former US President Donald Trump (right) and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Photo: *CNN*

Mr McCarthy in October became the first US House Speaker in history to be removed from office. The 58-year-old politician said on December 6 that he would leave Congress at the end of this year "to serve America in new ways".

He also said he would remain involved in supporting the Republican Party after leaving Congress , "continuing to convince the best and brightest to run."

McCarthy has frequently supported Mr. Trump, including the former president's claims of a "stolen" 2020 presidential election. The two split over the Capitol Hill riot on January 6, 2021, when McCarthy said on the House floor that Mr. Trump was "responsible" for the incident.

In the weeks after the Capitol riot, however, Mr. McCarthy strengthened his relationship with Mr. Trump, visiting the former president at his Mar-a-Lago estate and later saying that Trump did not “incite” the attack. He also supported the removal of former Representative Liz Cheney from the House Republican leadership because she criticized Mr. Trump’s statements.

Trump and McCarthy reportedly still had tense moments, including when McCarthy was removed from office. The Washington Post reported last week that McCarthy had cursed Trump for refusing to intervene or condemn his removal.

Part of the reason Trump is frustrated with McCarthy is because McCarthy did not support his re-election and the House of Representatives did not vote to remove the two articles of impeachment against him, according to the newspaper.

Huyen Le (According to Hill )

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