Matt Gaetz calls McCarthy’s insults a ‘death rattle’ as House GOP remains in disarray

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The House GOP remains in disarray.

Congressmen Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise have expressed their intentions to become the next speaker of the House. However, it's unclear if either of the men can secure the 217 votes needed to win an election.

The party has been embroiled in a civil war since former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by a group of eight Republicans led by Congressman Matt Gaetz.

The MAGA Republicans moved against Mr McCarthy shortly after he worked with Democrats to avert a government shutdown at the end of last month.

Since then, the speakership has been in limbo.

Mr McCarthy hasn't endorsed either of his would-be replacements, and may even be considering another run.

“I’m going to allow the conference to do their work," he said during a Monday press conference.

While Mr McCarthy was diplomatic about his possible replacement, he was much more candid while discussing his GOP rivals.

He told reporters on Monday that the eight MAGA Republicans who voted against him "love the cameras" and were more interested in "pettiness" than governing.

Mr Gaetz brushed the comments aside, insisting the insults were just Mr McCarthy's “death rattle.”

Mr McCarthy isn't speaking from an island; numerous GOP lawmakers have come out against Mr Gaetz and the other dissident Republicans for throwing the party into chaos. One, speaking to CNN, went so far as to call them "traitors," and suggested there would be an organised effort to thwart whichever speaker candidate they back.

“Many will refuse to support who the eight ‘traitors’ coalesce around because they don’t want the 96% to give into the 4%,” a House GOP member told CNN on condition of anonymity. "Many refuse to reward the 4 per cent."

Some Republicans — like Congressman Mike Lawler — aren't looking for a replacement. They just want Mr McCarthy back as they know he was at least capable of securing the 217 votes at one point.

"There are a lot of people who believe Kevin McCarthy is the right person to lead us," Mr Lawler told reporters.

Mr Gaetz sneered at Mr Lawler's loyalty to the the old guard in a post on X/Twitter.

"'A lot of people' < 218," he wrote, arguing even if some people wanted Mr McCarthy back, it wasn't going to be enough for him to win a vote. "Math is real. Time to move forward."

Mr Gaetz plans to back Mr Jordan, who is also Donald Trump's preferred choice for speaker. Mr Jordan has long been a Trump apologist and shares the MAGA ideology of individuals like Mr Gaetz and Congresswoman Nancy Mace.

The GOP will hold a candidate forum on Tuesday and an internal leadership election on Wednesday.