“He made a call. I heard the call. I didn’t like the call. But almost immediately — as you know, because he came here and we took a picture right there — you know, the support was very strong,” Trump told the Journal, referring to when McCarthy had trekked down to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, weeks after January 6 and posed for a picture with Trump in an effort to get back in his good graces.
Trump continued: “I think it’s all a big compliment, frankly,” referring to the Republicans who had initially criticized him after January 6 but quickly changed their tune. “They realized they were wrong and supported me.”
Some Republicans predicted there could be fireworks at Wednesday’s closed-door meeting as McCarthy is forced to answer uncomfortable questions about his past remarks, but they ultimately believe the controversy will blow over.
“People will talk and some knives will be out, but that’s the nature of Congress. At the end of the election cycle we are going to win back the majority. Kevin’s leadership will be a big part of why that happens,” said Rep. Kelly Armstrong, a North Dakota Republican. “It doesn’t make any sense to throw the guy who has taken all the incoming for two years under the bus right when we get control of the wheel.”
McCarthy has suggested to allies that he believed he was acting in Trump’s best interests — given the bipartisan push to impeach and convict him after January 6 — and that it would have been easier for the then-President to just resign, according to a Republican who spoke to the GOP leader on Friday.
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One senior House Republican told CNN on Friday that he had spoken to McCarthy, who relayed to him that “Trump was fine.”
“The only one who matters is Trump,” the Republican told CNN. “And if Trump is fine, it’s not an issue.”
Plus, McCarthy’s initial criticism of Trump after January 6 was already widely known and shared by many others inside the GOP conference. Weeks later, McCarthy went back to embracing Trump, diminishing his role in the attack and working hard to stay in his good graces.
Members and aides also argue that the fact that McCarthy first issued a statement vehemently denying he was considering asking Trump to resign only to be confronted with the audio on Thursday night hardly matters to most House Republicans who also have a fraught relationship with the press. In fact, some argued it probably boosted McCarthy within the conference; one GOP aide said lying to The New York Times could be seen as a “badge of honor.”
Yet several other Republicans acknowledged that lying to the public about his interaction is a political problem that he’ll need to clean up.
“Obviously that’s a problem,” one member of the leadership team told CNN. “The only currency we have with the media is our trust.”
McCarthy isn’t out of the woods yet. Republicans are bracing for another potential shoe to drop. The Times also reported that days after the insurrection, McCarthy privately lamented that Twitter should take away other Republican lawmakers’ Twitter accounts; audio of that conversation has yet to be released.
GOP lawmakers and aides say that conversation could be the most damning and problematic for McCarthy, since it runs counter to the party’s crusade against Big Tech and their calls to stop alleged conservative censorship, and McCarthy has faced questions about his support for Silicon Valley in the past.
What could ultimately save McCarthy is the size of the Republican majority next year if the GOP wins the House in November. A smaller majority would give more power for Trump die-hards in the conference to knock him off, but a more sizable majority — 20 seats or so — would neutralize that wing.
McCarthy allies already plan to drop record-breaking sums to take back the House and build what they’re calling a “governing majority.”
“We’re working to expand the map deep into Democrat-held territory to deliver a large GOP majority where future Speaker McCarthy can pass a conservative governing agenda and get things done,” said Dan Conston, the president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, a McCarthy-aligned super PAC.
In the aftermath of the Times reporting, there has been little criticism publicly from House Republicans, besides from conservative firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who has long been openly critical of McCarthy. Congress is also out of session for the Easter recess and doesn’t return until next week.
But many Republicans have come to McCarthy’s defense in the wake of the audio. One senior House Republican said they even emailed McCarthy just to let him know “how much I appreciate his leadership and friendship” and that “he has my full support.
“Republicans are going to take back the majority in November and when we do, Kevin McCarthy will be our speaker,” said freshman Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Iowa.