AP Photo/Evan Vucci
- Kevin McCarthy said that President Biden doesn’t have the “energy” of former President Trump.
- “Donald Trump didn’t need to sleep five hours a night,” McCarthy told Sean Hannity.
- McCarthy sat for an interview with Steve Scalise and new House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California said on Friday that President Joe Biden doesn’t possess the “energy” of former President Donald Trump, after a recent meeting at the White House.
McCarthy, who is seeking to regain control of the House in next year’s midterm elections, met with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, alongside GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
While being interviewed on Fox News by host Sean Hannity, McCarthy gave his assessment of the meeting after Hannity asked if Biden was “engaged” and had a “high level” of energy.
“He was with it and he was engaging and he was giving me numbers and talking,” he said. “But at no time, having known Joe Biden for quite some time, does he have the energy of Donald Trump. We both know it.”
He added: “Donald Trump didn’t need to sleep five hours a night. If you called Donald Trump, he would get on the phone before staff would.”
-Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 15, 2021
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House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and newly-installed House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York were also part of the interview.
Stefanik, a 36-year-old New York lawmaker and Trump loyalist, replaced Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the conservative scion of a prominent Republican family, after Cheney’s refusal to validate the former president’s debunked claims about the 2020 presidential election.
McCarthy, who criticized Cheney for not articulating a united message against the Democratic Party, backed Stefanik’s ascencion to leadership, along with Trump.
The three GOP members largely attacked Biden’s policies during the interview.
“I am excited about Elise Stefanik joining the leadership team because Joe Biden is not just ignoring the problems, he’s igniting them,” McCarthy said.
Biden, who is seeking to pass a $2 trillion infrastructure bill, has hit a huge roadblock with the GOP leaders, who are seeking a smaller package and object to raising the corporate tax rate to fund the legislation.
The president has sought to raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, but said he is open to negotiating the final number.
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