Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) spoke with the press on Tuesday as the speaker fight continues.
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00:00 How problematic was it for Donald Trump to come out and call Tom Emmer a rhino?
00:05 I think it makes a difference in this race.
00:08 He had a number of votes behind, I think that made more so.
00:14 Is there any path for the Speaker? Should he step aside?
00:17 I'd leave that up to Tom to make that decision.
00:19 I know he's been meeting with members, we'll see where we go.
00:22 You said it made a difference in a negative way.
00:25 Yeah, I heard some members who supported Tom, not supported him.
00:30 Have you talked to Trump about this?
00:33 Who should Trump have at this point?
00:36 I'd leave that up to Tom. Tom's the nominee, the side.
00:39 One thing I know is we had eight members with all the Democrats.
00:46 And now for almost a month we haven't been working on securing the border.
00:51 We're not making sure Israel has the weapons that they need.
00:57 Inflation is still growing.
00:59 Iran is still producing oil where America doesn't get to produce their full potential.
01:04 This has just been a cluster, a mistake, and it has harmed not just the party but the nation.
01:10 So how do you get out of this?
01:12 There's no path for him.
01:14 There's no threshold.
01:15 Would you advise Mr. Emmer to try to plow through this or do outreach to Trump?
01:19 Emmer's the whip. Emmer understands it.
01:21 I don't run other people's campaigns.
01:23 I let them try to do what they can.
01:25 The only thing I know, when I put the name back as Speaker,
01:29 who would be Speaker pro tem, and it was especially after the legislation from 9/11,
01:34 it was my impression that person could continue to govern, the continuity of government.
01:39 That's what you wanted to be able to continue if there was a disaster here.
01:42 I mean, it's a moment in time that McHenry should be able to keep this going.
01:46 We should be able to bring a resolution up about Israel and support.
01:51 We should be moving our appropriation bills.
01:53 We should be securing our own border, making sure we don't have a sleeper cell sitting right here.
01:57 All of this for the idea that Gates had no idea to partner with the Democrats
02:02 to create some coup with no plan going forward has been a mistake, has been a failure.
02:07 The country knows it. They see it. And we need to move on.
02:10 Do you think that it's fair for Trump to call--is it fair for Trump to call Emmer a rhino?
02:15 Should he have called him a rhino?
02:17 I know Tom Emmer. Tom Emmer is a conservative.
02:19 Every single nominee that has come forward so far has had more than a dozen,
02:23 more than 20 Republicans vote against them. You only had eight.
02:27 Are you ruling out possibly coming back?
02:30 The conference decides this. They have selected nominees.
02:33 Every single nominee they selected has been able to do this job.
02:37 The challenge that we have here is these eight Republicans work with every single Democrat.
02:42 But you have to understand the eight Republicans went against the Republican conference rules.
02:47 The Republican conference rules say to bring a motion to vacate, you have to have 50 percent of the conference.
02:54 And they did some plan--they did this action partnering with all the Democrats with no plan going forward,
02:59 and now America's being harmed.
03:01 And the idea that they wanted to bring it forward because I moved making sure our troops got paid,
03:07 sitting in the Mediterranean today wondering if they could pay their house payments,
03:11 their rent, their cars, it was the right decision, and it even looks more like the right decision today.
03:17 And their decision has been nothing but wrong and it's harmed our nation.
03:20 Can anyone get 217? Thank you.
03:22 Yep, yep, no problem, sir.