As Kevin McCarthy’s fate as House Speaker came down to the wire Tuesday, “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough shared some advice for how he may be able to get the needed votes to grab the gavel.
“What Kevin McCarthy should do, not that Kevin McCarthy would ever take my advice, but Kevin McCarthy should go to the floor like we’re hearing he may do. He should fight it out, he should call their bluff,” Scarborough said in a Tuesday morning segment, later adding that the House is currently a “dumpster fire.”
The advice came a day after the former House Minority Leader and House Speaker hopeful moved his belongings into Nancy Pelosi’s vacant office – despite rising opposition within the Republican Party against his House Speaker bid.
Andy Biggs of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Bob Good of Virginia have all vowed to not vote for McCarthy on Tuesday’s ballot, which projects him to being a vote shy of the needed majority. Nine other House Republicans signed a letter Sunday telling McCarthy he had not done enough to earn their support.
Considering they have no one to actually replace McCarthy’s bid, however, Scarborough said Tuesday that the politician should push back on the floor.
“I would have one Republican after another Republican after another Republican go to the floor and attack however few people there are and say, ‘You are a minority, you are outvoted 200-and-whatever, 215 to five, and you’re destroying the Republican party,’” Scarborough said. “Because he’s never going to be able to negotiate with them, he’s gonna have to run them over. And if he can’t run it over, and if these five people are going to hold him hostage, his speakership hostage for the next two years, it’s not a speakership worth having.”
“Call their bluff,” he emphasized. “It’s really his only good option at this point.”
Watch the full “Morning Joe” segment in the video above.
