Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) opened his remarks Wednesday at the Hill Nation Summit by saying that postcongressional life was “fabulous. We don’t have Matt Gaetz anymore.”
The remark from McCarthy, who has had a long-running feud with former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), drew laughter from the audience.
“The party is so much stronger now,” McCarthy added, comparing President Trump to former President Reagan for having “transformed where America is in this world.”
Gaetz is now retired from Congress after he was initially nominated to serve as attorney general for the Trump administration. The nomination was pulled after it became clear that Gaetz did not have the support to win confirmation.
McCarthy separately commented on the breakup between Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk, calling it unfortunate.
“Elon is extremely bright. You tell me how many of the people in the world can privately build a rocket without buying a Russian rocket and go to Earth to come back and capture it, right?” McCarty told The Hill’s Emily Brooks.
He also suggested it would be better for U.S. competitiveness if the two joined together again, while dismissing the idea of a third party.
Trump’s coalition is a “new Republican Party” that can answer the frustrations of voters, McCarthy said.
“I understand people’s frustration with things not getting solved, but now is a different opportunity,” McCarthy said.
“Trump has put a coalition together that’s rather unique. Anybody else that thinks about doing some other party, I think that would only help the Democrats win an election,” he added.
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