Here’s the Odd Reason Kevin McCarthy Refrains From Speaking Against Donald Trump on TV

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is a Donald Trump critic but it comes with conditions applied. The 58-year-old recently revealed a bizarre reason to a news reporter when asked why he refrains from calling out the former president on television. Previously, he prided himself on his close relationship with the Republican front-runner, even defending him during several controversies. 

The ousted speaker was at the DealBook Summit discussing the 77-year-old when he told the New York Times reporter, Andrew Ross Sorkin, "I do not criticize him on television because I don't think it's right," adding, "and I know it drives him crazy," reported The Hill. He further highlighted his current relationship with Trump.  

McCarthy revealed his "interesting relationship" with the GOP front-runner. He also said that while being ousted from the role of the speaker, he didn't expect the former president to come to his rescue, saying the two "have very clear personal conversations on where we go."

However, despite their differences, the 55th speaker of the United States favored Trump for president in the upcoming 2024 elections. According to McCarthy, "America would be stronger" if the Republican candidate remained the GOP nominee, and also predicted "if Biden is the Democrat nominee, Trump will win," and "Republicans will have a very big night." 

During the Q&A session, he was instantly scrutinized for siding with Trump. However, he clarified, "[I] didn't say [that Trump would be] a great president. I said he'd be a better president." 

McCarthy also weighed in on Trump's "agenda" to win the 2024 presidential bid, reported Deadline. He warned, "If [Trump's] campaign is about renew, rebuild and restore, he'll win," adding, "If it's about revenge, he'll lose." He concluded, "The only person that's going to determine that is — not his campaign ad — is him." 

However, he advised Trump to choose his Republican rival, Nikki Haley, as his running mate for the 2024 elections. The former South Carolina governor is giving Florida governor Ron DeSantis tough competition to be the second in line (after Trump) to win the GOP Primary race.

McCarthy feels Haley would be a perfect fit for Trump to win back his seat in the White House. This also makes sense, as she has emerged as the top alternative to the former president in the 2024 bid. In fact, the 51-year-old is even set to launch a $10 million ad campaign to overthrow her rival, DeSantis, at a critical moment in the GOP nomination fight. 

As far as Biden is concerned, McCarthy aimed shots at his "age" while speaking at the DealBook Summit. "It was policy. It was certain decisions," he pointed out. Meanwhile, he also emphasized his habit of reading from the "notes," per Yahoo! 

The once-Trump-loyal McCarthy revealed he cursed at the former president during a phone call amid his exit from the House Speaker, reported the Washington Post. However, his spokesperson defended that the former speaker didn't swear.