Donald Trump and Ben Carson just praised Kevin McCarthy - for completely different reasons

The two leading Republican presidential candidates had very different reactions to the mayhem in Washington on Thursday.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) was expected to easily have the speaker's race sewn up.

But instead, McCarthy suddenly exited the race and threw the legislative chamber into disarray.

Real-estate mogul Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, said McCarthy made the right decision because he wasn't tough enough.

"Great, Kevin McCarthy drops out of SPEAKER race. We need a really smart and really tough person to take over this very  important job!" Trump tweeted. "Washington (D.C.) is such a mess - nothing works! I will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! It's not going to happen with anyone else."

Somewhat strangely, Trump also tweeted his approval after a supporter suggested his daughter Ivanka Trump run for House speaker: 

Meanwhile, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson said McCarthy was "unselfish" by prioritizing the Republican conference ahead of his own political ambitions.

"I say kudos to Rep. McCarthy for putting others before himself," Carson told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "This is not something we see very often in Washington."