Another Trump Ally Ignores His GOP Rallying Call to Back McCarthy

Right-wing political commentator Dinesh D'Souza, a Donald Trump ally, is apparently diverging from the former president when it comes to the chaotic House speaker race.

The GOP has been deadlocked this week as the House of Representatives seeks to elect a new speaker. Some 20 ultraconservative members have repeatedly blocked a push by Congressman Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, to secure the spot.

Trump has thrown his own political weight behind the congressman. D'Souza, meanwhile, is apparently backing the anti-McCarthy faction.

"Kevin McCarthy is just so unimpressive. He's a frat boy in a combat zone," D'Souza wrote on Thursday in a post on Truth Social. "At best, he's like the Union general McClellan who put on an impressive show of assembling the troops, but always preferred not to fight. The GOP base is looking for a Grant or Sherman right now."

Trump still wields enormous influence in the GOP, but his once-sterling political brand has begun to lose some of its sheen. While the former president continues to call on his party to elevate McCarthy, certain loyalists are refusing to fall in line, including Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.

D'Souza has long been a Trump loyalist. Last year, he released a film called 2000 Mules that claims to provide proof that the 2020 presidential election was marred by widespread voter fraud. Trump himself has alleged, without evidence, that the election was "rigged" against him.

Now, it seems that D'Souza's support for certain Trumpian aims is beginning to wear off.

Roughly an hour after his initial post, D'Souza again shared his thoughts about the speaker race to Truth Social. He cited a Wednesday night Fox News interview, during which host Sean Hannity asked Boebert, one of the leading McCarthy detractors, whether it was time for her side "to pack it in."

"Hannity thinks if McCarthy has over 200 votes and Boebert 20, she should quit rather than him. But she's not running against him!" D'Souza wrote. "He's below the threshold, like a student who needs an A- to get a scholarship but only has a B+. If he can't do better, too bad for him."

Republicans hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives, making even minor defections all the more significant.

During the sixth-round tally for speaker on Wednesday, McCarthy received support from 201 members. He needs the backing of 218 representatives if every member of Congress votes, and there are currently just 222 GOP representatives.

Newsweek reached out to the offices of Trump and McCarthy for comment.

Do you have a tip on a politics story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about Donald Trump? Let us know via politics@newsweek.com.