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Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) Tuesday night said former President Trump has reiterated support for his Speakership bid, hours after the California Republican failed to secure the gavel in three ballots amid GOP opposition to his candidacy.
The comment came after Trump, in an interview with NBC News earlier on Tuesday, declined to say if he was still backing McCarthy for the top spot after he fell short of the Speakership following three rounds of voting.
“Trump has already reiterated his support; I talked to him tonight,” McCarthy told reporters in the Capitol after emerging from a closed-door meeting with allies.
The former president threw his support behind McCarthy’s Speakership bid the night before the November midterm elections, handing the California Republican a key endorsement.
Trump doubled-down on that support in December, telling Breitbart in an interview that McCarthy “deserves the shot.” He also warned McCarthy opponents that they were “playing a very dangerous game.”
But Trump’s backing came into question on Tuesday after McCarthy failed to lock up the Speakership after a trio of votes.
