'You are a clown:' Rep Matt Gaetz faces mockery for remarks on ousted GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy 'quitting' Congress

McCarthy's recent decision came shortly following the motion to vacate initiated by Rep Matt Gaetz
PUBLISHED DEC 8, 2023
Rep Matt Gaetz comments on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's announcement of resigning from Congress by year-end (Getty Images)
Rep Matt Gaetz comments on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's announcement of resigning from Congress by year-end (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: Former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be resigning from Congress at the end of 2023. This decision was announced in an op-ed by McCarthy in The Wall Street Journal titled, “I’m Leaving the House but Not the Fight,” on Wednesday.

Many individuals have commented on McCarthy's recent decision, which occurred just a few months after the motion to vacate by Rep Matt Gaetz led to his ousting.

Following the announcement of McCarthy's resignation from Congress, Gaetz commented, suggesting that McCarthy's departure signaled that "if he cannot run the place as Speaker, then he will leave."

Matt Gaetz shares his remarks on Kevin McCarthy’s announcement

On X, formerly known as Twitter, Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy shared a video and wrote, “As the son of a firefighter from Bakersfield, my story is the story of America. For me, every moment came with a great deal of devotion and responsibility."

"Serving you in Congress and as the 55th Speaker of the House has been my greatest honor,” McCarthy added.



 

In the video, McCarthy reflected on some of his cherished moments as Speaker and concluded by saying, "Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America. That’s a wrap," signaling the end.

Following this, Rep. Matt Gaetz posted on X, stating, "Former @SpeakerMcCarthy is quitting Congress. He’s essentially saying if he cannot run the place as Speaker, then he will leave."



 

"There’s an Establishment Exodus from the House Republican Conference. It’s my hope that we backfill these establishment entities with folks who are willing to fight for the America First agenda," wrote Gaetz.

He added, “But for all of the self-congratulatory videos that McCarthy may make, his unwillingness to stay and vote for even the most basic Republican priorities until the end of his term may imperil our ability to get the job done.”

Internet reacts to Matt Gaetz’s statement on Former Speaker

Following Matt Gaetz's commentary on Kevin McCarthy resigning from Congress at the end of the year, the internet swiftly reacted. One user wrote, "Dude, you're a clown," and another commented, "Matt is done too 🤡."



 



 

“Should’ve kept him, tough luck,” wrote one user, and another said, “No, he's essentially saying he doesn't want to be part of your clown show.”



 



 

People continued to respond to Gaetz’ take on McCarthy resigning from Congress as one user wrote, “Oh screw off Gaetz,” and another wrote, “Maybe once he leaves you can stop talking about him every 5 minutes like a jealous ex-boyfriend.”



 



 

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

The map, which was passed with a vote of 57-41, redraws Indianapolis into four districts
4 hours ago
Donald Trump said his admin is 'seriously' studying Australia’s employer-funded retirement system as a possible model to strengthen US savings
3 days ago
House Republicans backed Trump’s Venezuela strikes but urged the White House to provide clearer plans after a follow‑up attack killed survivors
3 days ago
RFK Jr hailed the end of ‘20-year war on women’ as he said that removing black box warnings on hormone therapy would expand access for millions
4 days ago
Donald Trump said that he had aced his medical exams as he floated a plan to abolish federal income tax and replace it with tariffs
4 days ago
Republicans debated Donald Trump’s economic ideas as Rand Paul cautioned that tariffs and investor optimism could trigger a severe correction.
5 days ago
Democrats push for 'HIRE Act' to double H‑1B visas, sparking GOP backlash, as the bill can raise the annual cap to 130,000
7 days ago
Trump called himself the ‘affordability president’ in a medicine‑price post as he claimed that invoking Favored Nation rules drove historic drops
7 days ago
Donald Trump defended tariffs and warned of ‘evil forces’ at the Supreme Court as he urged justices to uphold his emergency powers
7 days ago
Elissa Slotkin’s comment about the federal troops was based on the alleged comment Trump made
Nov 29, 2025