‘Not a Single New Vote’: Chuck Todd Calls Out Trump’s Waning Power After Endorsement Fails to Help Kevin McCarthy

Kevin McCarthy is on track to lose his fourth vote in his bid for House Speaker, so NBC’s Chuck Todd observed that the GOP leader seemingly gained nothing from Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Todd joined Andrea Mitchell on Wednesday after MSNBC assessed the vote count and projected that McCarthy will once again be undermined by hard-line GOP holdouts. Since McCarthy so far seems unable to get these defectors to support him, Todd suggested there might be nothing more he can do to win the speakership without their backing.

“The only thing he can do is not seek the speakership. That’s the only thing these folks want at this point,” Todd said. “I talked to one committee chair. They said we don’t need a politician, we need a therapist. They are all personal grievances. These are arguably — you have 20 people with 17 different asks. He has done the big stuff. At this point, there’s nothing left other than stepping aside himself. That would then hand them the ultimate leverage…I think that would blow up the House even further.”

McCarthy’s fourth defeat comes despite the endorsement he received from former President Donald Trump, who urged Congressional Republicans to back him. The endorsement was rejected by McCarthy’s dissenters, so Todd noted that Trump’s influence may be weakening if it couldn’t meaningfully change the vote.

“Donald Trump, once again, was very helpful to Kevin McCarthy to the point of it got him not a single new vote,” said Todd. “We have been chronicling how much power he has been losing inside the party. This is why Trump had been quiet for a while, for fear his voice doesn’t matter. I think we just found out at least when it comes to getting Mccarthy over the finish line. He could maybe end McCarthy if he wanted to, but he couldn’t crown him.”

Watch above via MSNBC.