On stage, Republicans sought to project an image of unity at the Republican National Convention.
Offstage, it was a different story.
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida took time to taunt former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a video posted to X on Tuesday.
“What night are you speaking? Are you speaking tonight?” Gaetz said.
Very awkward moment- Congressman Matt Gaetz tries to interrupt former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s interviews, taunting him “Hey Kevin, what night are you speaking?” pic.twitter.com/vE1W5FvTqH
— Joe Khalil (@JoeKhalilTV) July 16, 2024
After being shunted away from McCarthy, Gaetz had to get another word in.
“Hey, if you took that stage, you would get booed off of it,” he said. “You would get booed off the stage.”
Matt Gaetz knows well what a despicable human being Kevin McCarthy is! I don’t begrudge him for shoving that truth pill down his throat! It’s like a pitcher who takes the jawing from a particular batter, then nails him in the back with a fastball! Sometimes you gotta do it!
— Kat (@katlu3) July 16, 2024
Another video shows McCarthy jabbing Gaetz.
“One person who raised the issue, he’s got an ethics complaint about sleeping with a 17-year-old,” McCarthy said as Gaetz can be heard in the background.
Another angle of the Gaetz confrontation of McCarthy
McCarthy: He’s got an ethics complaint of sleeping with a 17 year old pic.twitter.com/VaEWbW0mTV
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 16, 2024
In the interview that was taking place, McCarthy was torching Gaetz, who led the House Republican insurrection that toppled McCarthy as speaker. Although Gaetz has said McCarthy sided with the Democratic agenda too often, the former speaker said Gaetz was acting from personal motives.
“His name’s Matt Gaetz. He didn’t do it because he dislikes me, but he did it because he has an Ethics complaint because he paid to sleep with an underage girl. And he wanted me to stop the Ethics [committee],” McCarthy said, according to the U.K.’s Independent.
Disgraced? McCarthy? Gaetz is a Herman Munster clown
— DCfromtheOC (@divorcedMAGA) July 16, 2024
McCarthy was asked about what his next moves against Gaetz might be.
“I don’t think he’ll ever be able to run for governor like he wants to,” McCarthy said.
No lie detected. https://t.co/aLqNY3cTpG
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) July 16, 2024
Whose side are you on?
McCarthy and Gaetz have long made their mutual disdain public,
“Gaetz is the Hunter Biden of the Republican Party,” McCarthy said in May, according to Politico.
When he was gathering votes to oust McCarthy, Gaetz said flatly, “Look, the one thing everybody has in common is that nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy,” according to CBS.
