Kevin McCarthy avoids endorsing 'divisive' Trump — and fears a 'civil war' among House Republicans

07 July 2023

In 2023's Republican Party, saying something even remotely critical of former President Donald Trump can set off a major controversy. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) was reminded of that fact in late June when, during an interview with CNBC, he dared to entertain the possibility of his party nominating someone other than Trump in the 2024 presidential race.

McCarthy told CNBC, "Can he win that election? Yeah, he can win that election. The question is: Is he the strongest to win the election?' I don't know that answer."

While that was hardly scathing condemnation of Trump, the former president's loyalists were furious. McCarthy immediately went into damage-control mode and apologized to Trump. And the House Speaker has been raging against Attorney General Merrick Garland and special counsel Jack Smith in response to the 37-count federal criminal indictment Trump is facing.

One thing McCarthy hasn't done, however, is endorse Trump in the primary.

In an article published on July 7, Politico reporters Sarah Ferris and Olivia Beavers stress that McCarthy finds himself between a rock and a hard place: the House speaker is "risking Donald Trump's wrath" by not endorsing him, but he also fears a "civil war over 2024" among House Republicans.

"While scores of McCarthy's members have already backed Trump, plenty of other Republicans are steering clear of the polarizing former president in the GOP primary," Ferris and Beavers explain. "That camp includes virtually every swing-seat lawmaker, many of whom fear that embracing Trump could spell their electoral doom next fall — as well as allies of Trump's rivals, from Ron DeSantis to Doug Burgum. So, as much as McCarthy might risk alienating Trump by staying on the sidelines, the California Republican also provides the most political cover he can to his vulnerable members."

The reporters add, "The pressure on the speaker to choose sides will only grow throughout the summer, though, as Trump locks down support across the House GOP and questions intensify about why McCarthy isn't fully embracing the man who helped deliver him the speakership."

Interviewed on condition of anonymity, a conservative House Republican told Politico that McCarthy's caucus is "incredibly split" where the GOP's 2024 presidential primary is concerned.

That Republican argued, "The reality is: If we get Trump, there's probably a good possibility that we don't keep the House…. McCarthy knows that. He knows that if Trump's on top of the ticket, that we probably lose New York and California.... If we lose the House, there's no way McCarthy stays as minority leader. He's gone."

Ferris and Beavers note that while "roughly 60" House Republicans have endorsed Trump, only five have endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A House Republican in a district that President Joe Biden won in 2020, also quoted anonymously, told Politico, "There's not a person who is more black and white, who is more hot and cold, who is more politically divisive than Trump. So, while McCarthy spent six months keeping us all together, it's like the worst thing that you can do is take a stance for or against Trump."

Politico's full report is available at this link.

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