In a moment that was the height of illusion, Kevin McCarthy tried to pretend he and Biden were equals and he didn’t just have his clock cleared on the debt limit deal.
Video:
Kevin McCarthy is trying to pretend he and Biden are equals and he didn’t just give him the lead. pic.twitter.com/aMNr6x8zmQ
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) May 28, 2023
McCarthy said:
No one thought on any given day that we would be where we are today. The president said he wouldn’t negotiate with us for 97 days, he wouldn’t even allow us to talk after we passed the bill, but it’s only in the last two weeks that we’ve really able to sit down and communicate with each other.
And I want to thank the president’s team that he put together, very professional, very intelligent. Very strong beliefs that are different from ours, and I think at the end of the day people can work together to be able to go through the House and the Senate together, to sign it and send it to the President.
Biden did not negotiate the debt ceiling. He negotiated a two-year budget deal. McCarthy thanked the president’s team for being professional when they gave him nothing but a few crumbs that he tries to sell as wins.
The name of the game for Republicans was never to get a real deal. The Republicans tried to cause a recession so they could defeat Biden in 2024, and they failed.
Kevin McCarthy thanked Biden for the kick he just took. The president is selling a fantasy straight out of Trump’s playbook where the bottom is up and defeat really is victory.
Jason is the editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate studies focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
