At the risk of sounding like David Wooderson, Matthew McConaughey’s character in “Dazed and Confused,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he was against recently ousted Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy before it was cool.
“I opposed McCarthy when it wasn’t cool years ago,” DeSantis told Scripps News on Tuesday.
What To Know: McCarthy was removed from his leadership role in the U.S. House of Representatives in a historic turn of events this week. The 216-210 vote was led by eight members of the Republican party after the former Speaker collaborated with Democrats in an attempt to avoid a government shutdown.
DeSantis placed the blame on former President Donald Trump, who endorsed McCarthy as Speaker before he was elected to the position at the beginning of the year.
“He is really somebody that Donald Trump has backed and put in that position,” the Florida governor reportedly said.
DeSantis, who is currently the second favorite to win the Republican primary behind Trump, per the weekly Morning Consult poll. He also suggested a few potential replacements for McCarthy, including U.S. Reps. Tom Massie (R-Ky.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas).
“I think Chip is someone who really understands how you move this country in a better direction,” DeSantis said.
Current betting favorites to take over the role as House Speaker include Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.), Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) and Mike Johnson (R-La.), but DeStantis seems to think it would “be a lot cooler” if it were someone who has previously endorsed him.
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Flickr.
