House Republicans Got Into a Heated Exchange Where Insults Flew and Matt Gaetz Was Called ‘Tubby’

(Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)

Tensions came to a boil in the House Republican conference with one congressman calling Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) “tubby,” according to new reports.

NBC News was first to report on the fiery exchange. Network congressional correspondent Julie Tsirkin reported that a group of Republicans approached House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) about holding on a financial aid package for Ukraine in the House until aid for Israel is passed in the House and Senate.

Johnson has faced backlash in his conference over a package with approximately $100 billion in foreign aid for countries like Ukraine and Israel. Johnson separated the aid requests in a bid to get legislation pushed through the House and Senate, but two members of his conference, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), have both come out in support of a motion to vacate.

According to initial reports, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) threatened to bring a motion to vacate to the floor while in a “heated” exchange with Johnson on Thursday. Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and others were also in the gaggle, according to initial reports, but Tsirkin said Van Orden was the one to escalate things with the personal insult. Fellow NBC News reporter Sarah Mimms later confirmed Van Orden got in Johnson’s “face” during the exchange, according to two sources.

Later reports, however, revealed the insult was directed at Gaetz.

“That [tubby insult] was directed directly at Matt Gaetz. He felt like he should call me a squish and I wanted to remind anybody who has not been in combat and held his friend’s hand as they died bring shot by the enemy really doesn’t have any business calling someone else a squish. And so, in fact, I did call him tubby and I stand by that,” Van Orden told Axios reporter Juliegrace Brufke.

CNN later confirmed this report of the exchange. Van Orden told reporters he joined the group of Republicans to defend Johnson.

Johnson has attempted to dismiss concerns about a potential ousting, calling it “absurd.”

UPDATE: The initial version of this story referred to Johnson being called “tubby” based on first reports. The story has been updated to reflect additional reporting.