House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday publicly criticized fellow Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying his path to political stardom was paved by former President Donald Trump.
“I served with Ron DeSantis [in Congress]. He is not on the same level as President Trump by any means,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo. “He would not have been chosen [governor] without the support of President Trump.”
Trump himself has deployed the same line of attack in the ongoing Republican primaries, arguing that DeSantis has not adequately acknowledged Trump’s endorsement in the 2018 Republican primary for governor of the Sunshine State.
DeSantis, 45, responded to McCarthy on Monday during a news conference in Jacksonville, Florida.
“Donald Trump was instrumental in winning the president’s gavel and they worked hand in hand, really throughout his presidency,” DeSantis said. “They ended up together adding about $7.8 trillion to our national debt.”
“He said we are different. We are different because in Florida we have had budget surpluses. “We have paid off almost 25% of our state’s debt since I have been governor,” he continued. “I’m not someone the DC establishment wants to see up there.”
McCarthy has yet to give his formal endorsement in the 2024 Republican race.
“I think he will be the nominee,” McCarthy added of the 77-year-old Trump. “The thing is, President Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016 or 2020, and there is a reason. They saw the policies of what he was able to do with America: putting America first and strengthening our economy.”
Congress has eight legislative days and 13 calendar days, including Monday, to avoid a shutdown.REUTERS
Kevin McCarthy and Ron DeSantis have largely refrained from attacking each other, although the governor has made clear where his sympathies lie. AP
McCarthy’s attack on DeSantis came after reports that the Florida governor had privately backed House Republicans who were resisting the conference’s internal dispute over government funding ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline. September to avoid a partial closure.
Last week, DeSantis had a call with Freedom Caucus Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Bob Good (R-Va.), as well as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and urged them to “keep fighting”. Politico reported.
“They campaigned on certain things, our voters gave them the House,” DeSantis told Fox News’ “MediaBuzz” on Sunday. “Do what you believe, because the country is becoming insolvent.”
Donald Trump and Kevin McCarthy have had largely friendly relations with some major bumps along the way.AP
ICYMI: DeSantis pressured House GOP to hold firm on spending
“They campaigned on certain things, our voters gave them the House…so just do what you say you’re going to do!”
“Do what you believe, because the country is becoming insolvent” pic.twitter.com/FYp0FAKc4H
-John Hasson (@SonofHas) September 17, 2023
Kevin McCarthy is in a bind because the GOP reached a deal with Democrats on major funding numbers in May.REUTERS
But the president’s right flank wants him to cut funding even further, which would put Republicans on another collision course with Democrats. Sunday Morning Futures / Fox News
When Bartiromo asked about DeSantis’ conversations with holdouts, McCarthy warned that a shutdown would “only give strength to Democrats.”
“It would give power to Biden. He wouldn’t pay our troops. “He wouldn’t pay our border agents,” he said.
McCarthy has backed a stopgap resolution to buy additional time to craft and pass needed appropriations bills. Such a measure, known in Capitol parlance as CR, would almost certainly need the support of House Democrats to overcome GOP opposition.
While in Congress, DeSantis was a founding member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, a constant source of headaches for Republican leaders in Congress.
The House currently has 221 Republicans and 212 Democrats, meaning McCarthy can afford to lose just four GOP votes and still pass legislation along the party line.
Ron DeSantis has been fighting to gain more ground in the early states to undermine Donald Trump’s national dominance. AFP via Getty Images
In January, as McCarthy endured 15 votes before winning the presidency, Trump helped rescue him and made appeals to holdouts on his behalf.
Then, in June, McCarthy struck a chord in Trump’s world.
“Can [Trump] win that election? Yes, he can win that election,” he told CNBC of a Trump-Biden rematch in 2024. “The question is, ‘Is he the strongest to win the election?’ “I don’t know that answer.”
The speaker quickly went into cleanup mode, accusing the media of taking his comments out of context.
“Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016,” McCarthy later told Breitbart.
Donald Trump is the clear favorite of the Republican Party for 2024. AFP via Getty Images
Trump has earned more than six dozen endorsements from sitting members of the House of Representatives and 11 from sitting U.S. senators. He also has a 43.9 percentage point lead over his closest rival, DeSantis, in the RealClearPolitics polling average.
DeSantis’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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