Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy drew laughs from CNBC hosts on Wednesday after praising former President Trump’s debate performance and insisting he “controlled himself more than normal.”
“My money, Trump is going to win,” McCarthy told CNBC’s Squawk Box on Wednesday, insisting that voters had already made up their minds before the primetime debate on Tuesday night.
McCarthy, who retired from the House at the end of 2023, told the hosts that Trump had “missed opportunities,” as well as a disadvantage from the “one-sided” ABC debate moderators, but in general said the debate performance won’t have an effect on the election results.
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He also acknowledged some of the Republican nominee’s shortcomings, noting that “he did take the bait at times, crowd size and others.”
McCarthy also predicted there would not be another presidential debate before the election in November. “I don’t think either of them want another debate,” McCarthy said. “Kamala feels she she did what she needed to do.”
CNBC’s analysts were less forgiving to the former president. “For Trump, if he can’t control himself where he gets so aggrieved all the time… he had so many opportunities, and I think he went in there with the notion that ‘I am going to highlight her record and what happened,’ but then he didn’t do it,” Joe Kernan added.
But McCarthy didn’t buy the host’s analysis, comparing Trump’s debate performance to a wedding that didn’t go exactly as planned.
“Trump controlled himself more than normal,” McCarthy insisted—a line that drew laughs from the entire panel of hosts.
“I don’t think that’s an argument that’s going to make people feel good,” host Becky Quick responded while chuckling.
