‘You’ve Been On Fox Six Times Since Saturday’: Bret Baier Asks Kevin McCarthy If He’s Trying to Return as Speaker

 

Bret Baier asked Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) if he is trying to get his old job back while noting the number of times he has appeared on Fox in recent days.

Last week, then-Speaker McCarthy was ousted after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) moved to vacate the chair, which triggered a vote of the House on whether to remove him. Eight Republicans joined 208 Democrats to vacate. Republicans have since nominated Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) to replace him, but he currently lacks the requisite votes. Some in the GOP conference have said they would back Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) instead.

Appearing on Thursday’s Special Report on Fox News, McCarthy was asked by Baier about a potential return to the speakership:

BAIER: Can you absolutely rule out being drafted to go back at it?

MCCARTHY: Look, let, whatever is–

BAIER: I know you say, let the conference decide, but here you are. Listen, you’ve been on TV a lot. You’ve been on Fox six times since Saturday. Are you still in the game here? Is that why?

MCCARTHY: Look, one thing I’ve always told America, I’m never going to give up. So, whether I’m speaker or still a member of Congress, I have an ability to lead and say and do things. And that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna help– gonna help the American public to do what is right and try to get this Congress in the right direction.

A second McCarthy speakership seems unlikely, as he would need to gain the support of some of the eight Republicans who voted against him just last week. Failing that, he would need them to drop their active opposition to him by voting “Present,” which would lower the threshold for the number of votes needed to win. Failing that, he would need the support of some Democrats – some combination of the above scenarios.

Watch above via Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!

Tags:

Mike is a Mediaite senior editor who covers the news in primetime. Follow him on Bluesky.