House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will meet with former President Donald Trump in Florida Thursday after seemingly angling to get back in the former president’s good books.
The news was first reported in the Punchbowl newsletter.
McCarthy reportedly requested the meeting, per CNN.
While McCarthy initially acknowledged that Trump “bears responsibility” for the January 6 Capitol insurrection, he has since been scrambling back to a more pro-Trump posture.
He changed his tune Sunday to asserting that “everybody across the country” bears some responsibility for the attack, and voted against Trump’s impeachment.
Still, Trump has reportedly been furious with McCarthy over his initial comments.
McCarthy has also walked a careful tightrope in dealing with members who voted for impeachment, including Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).
“Look, I support her, but I also have concerns,” he said during a recent appearance on Greta Van Susteren’s “Full Court Press.” “She took a position as a number three member in conference, she never told me ahead of time.”
Cheney has been hounded by her colleagues, particularly Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), for the vote and some are seeking to kick her out of her leadership position.
Most recently, McCarthy has shown his reluctance to anger the MAGA contingent by so far refusing to commit to any punishment for Rep. Marjorie Greene (R-GA), whose newly unearthed social media comments showed her musing about the execution of Democratic politicians.
