Republican Says Matt Gaetz Would Be a 'Great Dictator'

A Republican Representative said that Matt Gaetz would be a "great dictator" outside of the U.S. after the Florida Representative triggered the vote to oust Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker.

"I think Matt would be a great dictator in a small island nation in the Pacific or something, that's probably the best next step for him," Louisiana Republican Representative Garret Graves told Semafor this week, speaking in the aftermath of McCarthy's historical removal as Speaker of the House.

"I do think there should be repercussions," Graves added.

Earlier this week, Gaetz motioned to have McCarthy removed as Speaker of the House, which eventually passed in a 216-210 vote with several Republicans siding with House Democrats. The Republican Representatives that joined Gaetz in voting to remove McCarthy included Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett, Eli Crane, Bob Good, Nancy Mace, and Matt Rosendale.

"Chaos is Speaker McCarthy. Chaos is somebody who we cannot trust with their word," Gaetz said during a speech on the House floor earlier this week. "The one thing that the White House, House Democrats, and many of us on the conservative side of the Republican caucus would argue is that the thing we have in common is Kevin McCarthy said something to all of us at one point or another that he didn't really mean and never intended to live up to."

Gaetz continued his criticism of McCarthy while speaking to reporters after the vote, saying "Kevin McCarthy couldn't keep his word. He made an agreement in January regarding the way Washington would work, and he violated that agreement."

Following the removal of McCarthy, some Republicans have pointed to Ohio Representative Jim Jordan as a replacement, while Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has called on former President Donald Trump to run for the role.

While speaking to reporters outside of a New York courtroom on Wednesday, Trump spoke about calls for him to run for Speaker of the House and said, "All I can say is we'll do whatever's best for the country and for the Republican Party...We have some great, great people."

Trump said, "We're leading by like 50 points for president, so my focus is totally on that...If I can help them during the process, I would do it, but we have some great people in the Republican Party that can do a great job as Speaker."

In addition to Graves, New York Republican Representative Anthony D'Esposito also criticized Gaetz for his actions, telling CNN that it was "one of the greatest acts of heresy."

Newsweek has reached out to Graves and Gaetz via email for comment.