Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) made it clear on Sunday that he sees himself as the future of House Republicans. The firebrand congressman He told the Wall Street Journal He said he had no plans to leave Congress and would impose his will on the caucus from within.
“I’m trying to remake the House in my image,” he told The Wall Street Journal, describing himself as a “warrior” Republican who can “end the wars, close the borders and cut spending.”
Gaetz is known as one of the most reckless members of Congress and is not afraid to defy party leadership — he led a group of eight Republicans to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last year and has been one of the harshest critics of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Gaetz, seen as a rising star on the right wing of the Republican Party, denied rumors that he would run to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis (Republican, Florida) when his term ends in 2027. He also said he would not serve in a second Trump administration.
“I’m totally committed to making sure that the House of Representatives looks like it will and that Donald Trump is elected president,” Gaetz said.
The government budget deadline in September will be the next tough battle for Gaetz, who has not hesitated to call for a government shutdown if it would block an omnibus spending bill.
Gaetz said he plans to play a key role again as the spending process moves forward, adding that he is frustrated with Johnson’s attempts to pass a single-topic spending bill, as the speaker has been unable to reach an agreement with the Senate on spending.
“I personally like Mike, so it really hurts to be so disappointed,” Gaetz said, without providing details about his plans.
The four-term congressman, a right-wing populist strongman, began backing candidates aligned with the Freedom Caucus this year and entering primaries against candidates backed by McCarthy.
Mr McCarthy is currently endorsing Mr Gaetz’s primary opponent, Aaron Dimock, and the feud between the two has become personal, with Mr McCarthy saying in April that Mr Gaetz was trying to oust him to avoid an ethics committee investigation into sexual misconduct.
The Ethics Committee announced last week that it was investigating whether Gaetz tried to obstruct an investigation into his conduct that is based on allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct, used illegal drugs and accepted inappropriate gifts.
