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Former President Donald Trump has put his seal of approval on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for another term in Congress.
Trump announced his endorsement of McCarthy on Sunday, writing that the California Republican “is an outstanding Representative for the people of California, and a strong and fearless Leader of the House Republican Conference.”
The California Republican won over the former president as he threw himself into efforts to curb inflation and has worked to “Hold Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi Accountable for their catastrophic failures and dereliction of duty,” Trump wrote.
LEAKED TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TAPE PUTS MCCARTHY IN BIND AS HE CHASES SPEAKER’S GAVEL
Questions about whether Trump would line up behind the minority leader swirled after tape recordings of McCarthy saying he considered asking the former president to resign after the Jan. 6 riot surfaced before the release of a book from two New York Times reporters.
McCarthy is set to return to his position atop the House of Representatives should Republicans enjoy the success they’re expected to in November.
Despite putting on a public show of being close to the former president, including a visit to Mar-A-Lago in January 2021, McCarthy was highly critical of Trump in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot. Recordings of McCarthy speaking with Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) revealed McCarthy “seriously thinking” of having a conversation with Trump to recommend that he resign.
“I’ve had it with this guy,” McCarthy added. “What he did was unacceptable. Nobody can defend that, and nobody should defend it.”
Under McCarthy’s leadership, the House GOP has fractured, but one of Trump’s greatest foes has been a victim.
In May 2021, House Republicans voted to remove Cheney from her No. 3 spot in the conference, replacing her with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
Earlier this year, the Republican National Committee censured Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) over their participation in the Jan. 6 select committee. Cheney and Kinzinger are the only Republicans on the committee after McCarthy withdrew his nominations for members after Pelosi rejected two of the five appointees from participating.
McCarthy’s response to the censure was tepid, saying the RNC had a right to the resolution but that it wasn’t the RNC’s job to single out members “who may have different views from the majority.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
California’s primary election is on June 7. McCarthy is running against four competitors in the nonpartisan primary.
The district is a solidly Republican one, according to FiveThirtyEight, which gives it an R+31 lean.
