House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) held a press briefing on Tuesday where he spoke about the plan from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to oust him from the speakership.
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00:00 We just had a really good conference in there.
00:02 We talked about what we're going to take on the floor.
00:03 We got our appropriation bills up.
00:05 I'm going to bring up the motion to vacate today.
00:07 We'll do it in the first series and move through this.
00:10 Speaker, will you still be Speaker of the House by the end of tonight?
00:14 You know, if I counted how many times someone wanted to knock me
00:17 out, I would have been gone a long time ago.
00:19 Can you explain a little bit about why do it today?
00:22 I mean, the idea that you --
00:23 Why not?
00:24 Rip the mandate off here or what?
00:25 Why not?
00:26 You know, look, I think Matt has planned this all along.
00:30 It didn't matter what we transpired.
00:32 You know, he would have done it if we were in shutdown or not.
00:35 I firmly believe it's the right decision to keep government open,
00:39 to make sure our military is still paid,
00:41 our border agents are still paid.
00:43 And if that makes a challenge based upon whether I should be
00:46 Speaker, I'll take that fight.
00:47 So you're calling us bluff?
00:49 Yeah.
00:50 What was your conversation like with Senator Jeffries?
00:52 Why did you call him?
00:53 Well, I have to talk to Jeffries about a lot of things.
00:55 We talk every week.
00:58 We talk sometimes during the week.
01:01 We've got some issues going on, the Bowman.
01:03 I always try to let him know what's going to be coming to the
01:05 floor and others.
01:06 My only conversation with Jeffries,
01:09 I got a lot of respect for him, you know,
01:11 you guys do whatever you need to do.
01:14 I get politics.
01:15 I understand where people are.
01:17 I truly believe, though, the institution of the House.
01:21 At the end of the day, if you throw a Speaker out that has 99
01:25 percent of their conference, that kept government open and
01:31 paid the troops, I think we're in a really bad place for how
01:34 we're going to run Congress.
01:36 So are you expecting Democrats to back you up then?
01:39 No.
01:39 Personally, I'm not.
01:41 Do you need their help to remain in leadership?
01:43 No.
01:45 If five Republicans go with Democrats, then I'm out.
01:48 So it's whether --
01:50 That looks likely.
01:51 Probably so.
01:52 This is a bit of a complex piece of algebra because you don't
01:55 know what the attendance, you don't know what the present
01:57 votes, I mean, tell me why you're so confident based on
01:59 what the mathematical equation is.
02:01 Because I live in America.
02:02 No, but I mean, this is a serious --
02:04 No, it is a serious question.
02:05 -- computational issue.
02:06 Have you ever -- okay, take the current situation out.
02:10 Have you ever come to me on no matter what you thought I
02:12 couldn't solve that I wasn't confident?
02:15 I'm not questioning your confidence.
02:16 I'm questioning your hand.
02:17 But you're asking why I'm confident?
02:18 Because who I am.
02:20 And I just don't give up.
02:21 So there are obstacles in my life.
02:24 I have fallen many times.
02:26 There was a time I was going to be Speaker and I couldn't and
02:28 you guys all counted me out.
02:30 I'm Speaker.
02:31 I'm the 55th Speaker of the House.
02:33 You're confident that government was going to shut down.
02:35 You were confident the debt ceiling wouldn't get done.
02:38 But each and every time, if it's an obstacle,
02:41 I view it as a challenge.
02:42 And we're going to solve the challenge.
02:43 We're going to take it heads on.
02:44 How do you go and think, are you confident that you'll hold on?
02:47 I'm confident I'll hold on.
02:49 Do you think this is going to keep coming up repeatedly?
02:52 It could.
02:53 It seems very personal with Matt.
02:55 It doesn't look like he's looking out for the country or
02:57 the institution.
02:58 I mean, I gave this quote away.
03:01 You ought to read -- maybe I'll give it to you later in a
03:04 process of what can and --
03:06 Are you ruling out any sort of power sharing agreement with
03:09 Democrats or any sort of deals with Democrats?
03:12 That doesn't work.
03:13 Look, I'm a conservative.
03:14 I'm a Republican.
03:15 I'm a conservative.
03:15 I want to get things done.
03:18 Look, I know we live in -- our government is designed to have
03:22 compromise, but look, we're in the majority.
03:24 You don't surrender.
03:26 Do you work with the other side?
03:27 Yeah.
03:28 And that's what I've done.
03:28 I mean, from the day I came in, I've always said I'm going to
03:31 treat Hakeem the way I wanted to be treated.
03:33 I think you've seen that.
03:34 Everything doesn't have to be political.
03:36 And I firmly believe when you look at history, and when I talk
03:40 to the other speakers like a Boehner or Paul Ryan, the first
03:44 thing when they would meet, Nancy Pelosi would come and she
03:47 would simply say to them, if anyone ever did that motion, we
03:51 could stand with you, not because of you and not because
03:54 we agree politically, simply because of the institution needs
03:57 to be able to stand on its own.
03:59 First thing she did when she became Speaker was she removed
04:02 that.
04:03 And you know what?
04:04 It gave me the power to make that motion on her.
04:07 I had a lot of Republicans that wanted me to do it.
04:10 I never did it.
04:11 Did Nancy and I get along?
04:12 No, we really don't get along.
04:14 But I thought the institution was too important and I thought
04:17 that was too personal.
04:18 But you know, at the end of the day, keeping government open
04:22 and paying our troops was the right decision.
04:25 I stand by that decision.
04:26 At the end of the day, if I have to lose my job over it, so be
04:29 it.
04:30 But I'm going to fight for the American public and I'll
04:31 continue to fight.
04:32 Thank you all very much.
04:33 - Oh!
04:34 - Yeah, let's do it.