Kevin McCarthy hesitated when asked if Trump is the strongest GOP presidential candidate, only to backtrack hours later

• Kevin McCarthy publicly questioned if Donald Trump is the strongest GOP presidential candidate for 2024.
• Hours later, he personally apologized to the former president, according to the New York Times.

In a televised interview on Tuesday, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy questioned if former President Donald Trump is the strongest GOP presidential candidate in the race. Hours later, he called Trump to apologize, according to the New York Times.

Speaking to CNBC about Trump, McCarthy said "Can he win that election? Yeah, he can win that election," McCarthy said. "The question is, is he the strongest to win the election. I don't know that answer."

The New York Times reported that the comments frustrated Trump's allies, leading McCarthy to arrange an interview with far-right media publication Breitbart News.

"As usual, the media is attempting to drive a wedge between President Trump and House Republicans as our committees are holding Biden's DOJ accountable for their two-tiered levels of justice," McCarthy told Breitbart.

Pointing to polling, McCarthy told Breitbart that "Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016."

McCarthy didn't stop there.

His allies then blasted out fundraising texts and emails saying that "Trump is the STRONGEST opponent to Biden," a move that, according to Politico, angered Trump's team for fundraising using the former president's name without his permission.

At this early point in the 2024 presidential race, national polling consistently shows Trump as the leading GOP candidate for president, far ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the rest of the pack.