(NewsGlobal.com)- When Republican Kevin McCarthy failed to win the speakership last Tuesday, former President Trump, smelling defeat, appeared to distance himself from the guy he endorsed.
In a Twitter thread on Tuesday evening, NBC News Senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake reported that Trump “declined to say if he’s sticking by his endorsement.” Haake said the former president said, “We’ll see what happens. We’ll see how it all works out.”
When Haake asked Trump directly if he planned to stick with McCarthy, Trump only said “we’ll see what happens” and ended the conversation.
The former president had previously warned Republicans against playing a “very dangerous game” by challenging McCarthy.
But in the end, the game paid off.
The House Freedom Caucus used last week’s battle to secure huge wins for both conservatives and the country, gaining concessions from McCarthy that will, as constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley described it, “redefine legislative rights” that will “have tangible improvements for the House.”
Thanks to the Freedom Caucus, McCarthy agreed to include several key items in the House rules which were ultimately passed on Monday.
If the Freedom Caucus had followed the former president’s advice, the successes never would have materialized.
Naturally, once McCarthy won the Speaker’s gavel, former President Trump took credit for it.
In a post on Truth Social Saturday, the guy who started to distance himself from McCarthy claimed that he “greatly helped” McCarthy win the vote, adding, “I did our Country a big favor!”
There is no doubt that Trump was making calls and trying to whip up support for McCarthy.
According to CNN, the former president was on the phone with Republican hold-outs Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs on Friday asking them to vote “present.” Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was photographed trying to get Montana’s Matt Rosendale to take a call from Trump. However, Rosendale, one of the last remaining hold-outs, is seen waving her phone away.
After winning the Speaker’s gavel, McCarthy credited Trump for helping, telling reporters nobody should doubt Trump’s influence. “He was with me from the beginning,” McCarthy said.
