Apr 22, 2022 - Politics & Policy

McCarthy and Trump speak after audio reveals plan to ask president to resign

Picture of Donald Trump speaking into a microphone with Kevin McCarthy standing in the background — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) with then-President Trump on Jan. 4, 2019. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Former President Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) spoke on the phone on Thursday after a recently released tape showed that the lawmaker planned to ask Trump to resign over the Jan. 6 deadly insurrection, the Washington Post reports and Axios has confirmed.

State of play: During the conversation, Trump did not seem upset about the contents of the tape and was thankful that McCarthy did not actually urge him to step down, per the Post.

Trump has yet to make a public statement on the audio leak.

Between the lines: New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns' new book "This Will Not Pass" also reveals that during a call on Jan. 10, 2021, McCarthy told other GOP leaders that he wished tech companies like Twitter would remove some of the party's members from their platforms.

This comment in particular has angered some within the GOP.

Catch up fast: The tape is a recording of a call between McCarthy and other members of his leadership team, including Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.).

Cheney asks McCarthy if he thinks Trump might resign, to which he responds: "[T]he only discussion I would have with him is that I think this [impeachment resolution] will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign. I mean, that would be my take. But I don't think he would take it."

What's next: Martin and Burns' book is set to come out May 3, and the authors have already warned they have more on tape.

Go deeper: Tape shows McCarthy said he would urge Trump to resign

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McCarthy and Trump speak after audio reveals plan to ask president to resign

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