Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, [former President Trump] In an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), he spoke about “what the former president was doing,” but by the end of the interview he felt the combative interview had highlighted “the great things” about the former president.
“At first you don’t know where he’s going, but then you think about it, Kamala was invited and she didn’t come. But he goes everywhere,” McCarthy said in an interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters. “The great thing about President Trump is he’s the same person in front and behind and he tells you what he sees and what he feels.”
President Trump stirred controversy on Wednesday when, during a sometimes-aggressive NABJ interview, he called ABC’s Rachel Scott “nasty” and “nasty” for repeating racist comments he’s made about other people of color in the past.
Trump also drew strong backlash when he questioned the race of his Democratic rival, Vice President Harris, the first female and first Black and Indian American vice president, saying she had only emphasized her Indian-American heritage so far.
“I didn’t know she was black until a few years ago when she became black, and now she wants to be known as black,” Trump told an NABJ audience in a live interview. “I don’t know if she’s Indian or black.”
Some Republican lawmakers have called on Trump to stop his racial attacks on Harris, and both the vice president and the White House have criticized his comments.
McCarthy did not address the controversy during his interview with Watters, instead focusing on Harris’ choice not to attend the event.
Harris said she couldn’t attend due to scheduling conflicts and asked the NABJ if she could speak virtually or send a representative, but the association rejected both ideas.
McCarthy also pointed to rumors that Harris has run a “toxic” work environment throughout her career.
“You can see that she’s been at the mercy of it all,” McCarthy said, “but the one thing that’s been consistent is that throughout her tenure as leader, every office she’s been in has been a toxic work environment. And the people working for her are the most liberal people. [saying] They can’t work for her.”
Harris has long dealt with high staff turnover in her roles from San Francisco district attorney to state attorney general to senator to now vice president: In just one week in July 2022, she lost 13 staff members, including her chief speechwriter.
