House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he believes former President Donald Trump is in a stronger position to win the presidency next year than he was in 2016 despite voicing doubts about his strength as a candidate earlier Tuesday.
McCarthy referred to a poll published Tuesday, which showed Trump leading President Joe Biden in a hypothetical matchup if both leaders secure their party's nominations next year. The poll, conducted by Morning Consult, showed Trump beating Biden for the first time since the pollster began comparing the candidates last year.
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“As usual, the media is attempting to drive a wedge between President Trump and House Republicans as our committees are holding Biden’s DOJ accountable for their two-tiered levels of justice,” McCarthy said in a statement. “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. Just look at the numbers this morning — Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016."
McCarthy's statement comes after the speaker claimed Tuesday morning he believed Trump could defeat Biden in the general election next November but was unsure if Trump was the "strongest" candidate.
"Can he win that election?" McCarthy said on CNBC's Squawk Box. "Yeah, 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 beat them. It's on any given day."
Trump announced he was running for president in November of last year but has been hit with several legal road bumps since, including being charged with 37 counts over keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence after he left the White House. Biden announced his candidacy for reelection earlier this year.
McCarthy also claimed that if Trump won the Republican nomination, it would be a good thing for the party and the country based on his policies.
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"I think if you want to go sheer policy to policy, it’s not what’s good for Republicans; it’s what’s good for America," McCarthy said. "Trump’s policies are better, straightforward, than Biden’s policies.”
Trump is competing against Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former Vice President Mike Pence, among others, for the Republican nomination. McCarthy has not publicly endorsed a candidate for the primary.