Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sad to say that there is a serious and
unmitigated masculinity crisis in America, and we must address it.
Allow me to present exhibit A.
Over the last 24 hours, republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
was effortlessly unmanned by former President Donald Trump.
Apparently, McCarthy engaged in discourse that Daddy Trump and supporters found
insulting, leading to multiple attempts at walking back his insanely mild statements.
McCarthy's humiliating debacle was sparked by a recent appearance on CNBC,
where he was asked whether he thought Trump would be the best Republican
presidential nominee to beat Biden.
Here's how that exchange went down.
>> If he wins the primary, do you think he can win the general?
And is it good for the Republican Party if Donald Trump is the nominee?
Look, and then I want to get to Biden and his malarkey defense and all that.
>> Can Trump beat Biden?
Yes, he can beat Biden.
>> Is that a good thing for
the Republican Party if Donald Trump- >> The Republicans get to select
their nominee.
I think if you wanna go sheer policy to policy, it's not good for Republicans,
it's good for America.
Trump's policies are better, straightforward than Biden.
>> Makes it complicated if he's got all these trials and
all this stuff overhanging- >> It makes it complicated also helps
them when- >> But
do you think he could win an election?
Could he win an election?
>> Can he win that election?
Yeah, he can. >> You think he can?
>> The question is, is he the strongest to win the election?
I don't know that answer.
But can anybody beat Biden?
Yeah, anybody can beat Biden.
Can Biden beat other people?
Yes, Biden can't beat him.
>> That was it.
That was all he said.
I mean, can you imagine being offended by that?
Having skin so thin that you hear that mild statement and think to yourself,
my God, I can't believe that he trashed me on national television.
McCarthy's statement at the tail end of that clip is what set the MAGA world off,
simply admitting that the House leader is unsure if Trump is the best potential
GOP nominee and that there is a chance that Biden could beat him again.
Infuriated loyalists to the former president.
Politico reports that Trump world flipped out.
Top aides to the former president and
allies who know both men quickly traded messages asking, in short, what the f***?
Some called McCarthy a moron, which is true.
Others looked at Trump campaign hand, Brian Jack, who also advises
the speaker and has been a critical bridge between both men to play mediator.
They're going to couples therapy.
As Trump hit the trail in New Hampshire,
what happened next was an unmanning of epic proportions.
Political reports that McCarthy immediately pivoted to cleanup mode.
McCarthy offered Breitbart reporter Matt Boyle an exclusive interview
to walk back his statements in a panic.
The headline for the piece alone is hilarious.
Reading that McCarthy believes Trump, with all his baggage and
indictments, is stronger today than he was in 2016.
He cited one poll to make his case arguing that, ''the only reason Biden is using his
weaponized federal government to go after President Trump is because he is Biden's
strongest political opponent, as polling continues to show.
Right McCarthy I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Donald Trump had
multiple opportunities to hand over classified and
top secret documents that the federal government knew he had in his possession,
but he refused to do it, continued to lie.
I'm sure that had nothing to do with it,
he continues to say in the context of this Breitbart interview.
Just look at the numbers this morning.
Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016, he continued,
citing a Morning Consult poll showing Trump ahead of Biden in a hypothetical
rematch of the 2020 presidential election.
44% to Biden's, 41%.
As if he wasn't embarrassing himself enough, though,
McCarthy engaged in even more groveling to appease Trump and his supporters.
He held a call, called the former president yesterday to apologize,
according to new reporting from our colleagues Melanie Zenona and
Kristen Holmes, where he both apologized.
He told the former president that he misspoke, and, of course, he blamed
reporters for taking the comments out of context, according to McCarthy.
His campaign sent out a fundraising email saying that Donald Trump was stronger
than ever.
This just goes to show you that Kevin McCarthy knows that his right flank is so
important for him to hold on to his speakership.
He cannot anger people in his conference who are getting behind the former
president, who are fervently behind him at all times,
no matter what that means in terms of defending Donald Trump.
And that is why Kevin McCarthy went out of his way yesterday to go ahead and
apologize to the former president, and then in subsequent interviews,
make it clear that he does believe Donald Trump could be a strong contender to beat
Joe Biden.
McCarthy bowing his head to Trump isn't new.
He's done this before.
Following the January 6 Capitol riots, McCarthy argued that Trump bore
responsibility for inciting his supporters.
>> The president bears responsibility for
Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters.
He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.
These facts require immediate action by President Trump.
Accept his share of responsibility, quell the brewing unrest, and
ensure President elect Biden is able to successfully begin his term.
>> An audio recording also confirmed that McCarthy told his fellow
Republican leaders that he was seriously thinking about recommending
that Trump resign in the wake of January 6.
In the January 10 meeting, Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney,
who was the chairwoman of the Republican conference at the time,
asks McCarthy if there's any chance Trump would resign.
He responds by saying, ''my gut tells me no''.
I'm seriously thinking about having that conversation with him tonight.
I haven't talked to him in a couple of days.
McCarthy goes on to tell his leadership team that the impeachment
resolution being crafted by Democrats would pass in the House and
that he believes it might pass in the Senate as well.
As we all now know, the Senate refused to convict Trump.
But at the time, McCarthy told his Republican colleagues the following,
the only discussion I would have with him is that I think this will pass, and
it would be my recommendation.
You should resign.
That would be my take, but I don't think he would take it.
And look, it didn't take much to bully McCarthy to submission.
He changed course after MAGA expressed rage over McCarthy's statements.
He ran over to Mar-a-Lago to beg Trump for forgiveness.
And look at this pathetic and weak shell of a man.
Since Trump loves to make grown men grovel at his feet,
he made sure to snap a photo with McCarthy and blast it out online.
That's what you're looking at.
Now, for me, this isn't about Trump.
It's about the cowardice that stems from the only thing that Kevin McCarthy
seems to care about himself.
And there are dozens just like him in Congress,
honestly on both sides of the aisle.
McCarthy's political career and leadership role is so
important to him that he'll do and say anything to remain in Trump's good graces.
He's an empty vessel.
He stands for nothing.
And while it's clear that he wants to maintain power,
what good is that power if you could never wield it for what you believe in?
I don't know if McCarthy has any values at all, but if he does, he's definitely
rushing them aside to publicly uplift someone he obviously despises privately.
That's not strength.
It's weak, unprincipled, and pathetic.
So the next time Republicans wanna share their concerns about the masculinity
crisis in America, I suggest they look inward first.