Former GOP rep says Trump ‘is no longer in control’ after Speaker showdown

Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) said former President Trump is “no longer in control,” after his attempts to influence Republicans in Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) battle to become Speaker of the House.

“The first time Trump spoke out and kind of pushed these members, people ignored him,” Curbelo said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” “Some of them even vocally said ‘we don’t really care.’ ”

Trump came out in support of McCarthy last week, but it still took multiple rounds of voting after Trump’s endorsement for the California Republican to claim the gavel.

Curbelo, who lost a reelection bid in the 2018 midterms, said the former president’s influence over GOP lawmakers during his time in Congress was strong.

“When I was in the House, those first two years of the Trump presidency, all of these members would say, ‘Wait, hold on, let’s see what the president is going to do, let’s see what the president is going to say,’ ” Curbelo said. “I think that’s over.”

McCarthy thanked Trump for his support after winning the Speakership early Saturday and quashed the idea that the former president’s influence in the GOP was waning.

“I do want to especially thank President Trump. I don’t think anybody should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning.”