As all the craziness was going down on Tuesday with the vote that resulted in Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as Speaker of the House, there was a lot of commentary from Republicans on both sides of the issue. Only eight Republicans, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), voted in favor of removing McCarthy, but the entire Democrat caucus joined them. It was a bizarre irony considering that Gaetz was livid that McCarthy needed Democrat support to pass the continuing resolution that funded the government for another 45 days.
But I digress. Amidst all that drama, I couldn’t help but wonder what President Trump had to say about it. He wasn’t quoted in any news stories that I read, which seemed odd. He has an opinion on most things, and I was incredibly curious about what Trump had to say, especially since he previously took credit for getting McCarthy elected as Speaker.
Well, it turns out that Trump did have something to say over at Truth Social. Much of his commentary was devoted to talking about the ongoing show trial in New York, but there was one short post addressing the drama in the House.
“Why is it that Republicans are always fighting among themselves, why aren’t they fighting the Radical Left Democrats who are destroying our Country?” he posted.
On its face, it’s an excellent question. As I’ve said before, all this infighting is a bad thing for the Republican Party. With such a slim majority, the party cannot afford division, as the Democrats have a knack for being able to unite when in pursuit of the party’s agenda.
Related: McCarthy Won’t Seek Speakership Again, Has ‘No Regrets’
I’m sorry, but how exactly does Trump have the moral high ground when it comes to fighting with other Republicans? Trump has spent the entire primary attacking one of the most popular governors in the nation — a man he previously enthusiastically endorsed and took credit for his election. Trump has spoken more highly of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) than Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) recently, for crying out loud.
And how about the fact there are few Republicans who served in his administration that he hasn’t attacked in some fashion? Whether it’s Mike Pence, Bill Barr, John Kelly, Jeff Sessions, or James Mattis, Trump has thrown each of these men under the bus for not being adequately loyal to him, often in a gratuitous and vicious manner.
He even attacked his former White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, when she dared to report on polling in Iowa showing that DeSantis was, at that time, closing the gap with Trump. The Trump administration was notorious for having a constant revolving door with personnel coming and going. Instead of fostering strong alliances, he consistently alienated and antagonized those he selected for his team, burning bridges left and right.
Yet Trump wonders why House Republicans are fighting amongst themselves instead of focusing their attention on the Democrats? I can’t think of anyone more guilty of committing friendly fire than Donald Trump.