Chris Hayes Calls Kevin McCarthy’s Fealty to Trump an Exercise in Self-Humiliation: ‘Debasing Himself’ to Win Favor

On Wednesday’s edition of All In, Chris Hayes tore into Republicans for their continued fealty to Donald Trump, the latest incarnation of which is the seemingly inevitable removal of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) as the third-ranking House Republican. Hayes specifically excoriated Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for arranging the upcoming May 12 vote on whether to oust Cheney, which he has done on Trump’s behalf.

“The binding glue of the Republican Party under Donald Trump,” said Hayes kicking off the show, “is the performance of self-debasement and humiliation.”

Hayes said McCarthy knows the cost of power in Trump’s GOP “is to humiliate yourself as much as humanly possible. That is what you have to do.”

The MSNBC host said McCarthy has seen what happens to those House Republicans who’ve insufficiently toed the party line over the years. Hayes pointed out that McCarthy was once considered one of the GOP’s “young guns” along with former Reps. Eric Cantor (VA) and Paul Ryan (WI), the latter of whom would serve as Speaker.

Cantor was turfed out in a GOP primary upset in 2014 by “proto-Trump” and anti-immigrant candidate Dave Brat, while Ryan retired as Speaker from an increasingly pro-Trump Congress that was passing him by, said Hayes.

“Kevin McCarthy understands the rules of the game, said Hayes, “which are that Kevin McCarthy has to humiliate Kevin McCarthy. He has to make Kevin McCarthy as small and as painfully abject as possible in order for Kevin McCarthy to thrive in the Trump cult.”

Hayes pointed to a 2018 Washington Post report that described how McCarthy noticed that Trump preferred only the cherry and strawberry flavors of Starburst candy. Days later, McCarthy bought large of amounts of the candy and had a staffer pick from the pile all the cherry and strawberry Starburst. McCarthy put his name on the gift, which was given to “a grinning Trump.”

Watch above via MSNBC