Donald Trump Could Lose 2024 Election, Kevin McCarthy Warns

Representative Kevin McCarthy issued a warning to the Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign during an appearance at the New York Times's Dealbook Summit on Wednesday.

McCarthy, the Republican who was ousted as Speaker of the House in October, said Trump's presidential hopes hinge largely on messaging. A Morning Consult Poll released Tuesday showed Biden with a slim 43 to 42 percent lead over Trump in a hypothetical 2024 race, with 11 percent of respondents stating they would vote for "someone else" and 5 percent still undecided.

"If his campaign is about renew, rebuild and restore, he'll win. If it's about revenge, he'll lose," McCarthy said, according to the Times' coverage of the event. "The only person that's going to determine that is—not his campaign ad—is him."

McCarthy also said he didn't view Trump as a "great president."

"I didn't say he would be a great president," McCarthy said. "I said he'd be a better president than what we're having. I said the country would be in a better place."

He went on to say he would vote for Trump if he wins the Republican nomination in 2024.

"America would be stronger," he told the Times.

Newsweek has reached out to McCarthy for additional comments.

McCarthy's relationship with Trump has also been in the spotlight recently due to revelations in ex-Representative Liz Cheney's new tell-all memoir "Oath & Honor."

The former congresswoman from Wyoming said McCarthy was among the GOP "enablers" of Trump during and after his first term even when they believed he was a threat to American democracy.

In the book, Cheney said McCarthy visited Mar-a-Lago shortly after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol because Trump needed cheering up.

"Trump's not eating, so they asked me to come see him," Cheney quotes McCarthy.

"What? You went to Mar-a-Lago because Trump's not eating?" she said about the meeting.

"Yeah, he's really depressed," McCarthy said.

McCarthy still mulling 2024 plans

McCarthy said he was still undecided about his re-election plans during the summit. McCarthy has filed re-election paperwork but has until December 8 to make a final decision.

McCarthy has served as a House representative in the U.S. Congress since 2007. His tenure as Speaker ended after only 10 months when he became the only Speaker to be removed from the position following a motion to vacate.

McCarthy represents California's 20th congressional district, which encompasses most of the San Joaquin Valley.

In February, Democratic candidate John Burrows announced his candidacy for McCarthy's seat.