The second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention saw a tense public clash between far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, highlighting deep divisions within the Republican Party.
In a widely circulated video, Gaetz approached McCarthy and mockingly said, “What night are you going to speak? Are you going to speak tonight? If you go on stage, you’re going to get booed off.”
Gaetz is scheduled to speak at the convention, but it’s unclear when that will be, while McCarthy is not among the speakers.
The incident is the latest chapter in an ongoing feud between the two Republicans, which came to a head last October when Gaetz introduced and passed a bill to remove McCarthy from his position as speaker.
Tensions between McCarthy and Gaetz have only grown since then, as McCarthy has been on a “revenge tour,” backing a primary challenger to the so-called “Gaetz Eight,” the hardline conservatives who voted with Democrats to remove him from the speakership.
In a recent interview, McCarthy compared Gates to Hunter Biden, alleged wrongdoing and highlighted the House Ethics Committee’s ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use against Gates.
Gaetz has strongly denied the allegations and fired back with personal attacks on McCarthy.
more:Who’s speaking at RNC 2024? See the full list of speakers
Jeremy Yurow is a Hawaii-based political reporter for the USA Today Network. He can be reached at JYurow@gannett.com or X (formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow).
