Video of Kevin McCarthy praising Democrats goes viral: “They look like America”

A video clip of Kevin McCarthy, in which he appears to sing the praises of how diverse Democrats are, has gone viral.

The video comes from an address McCarthy gave at Oxford University in the UK on October 28th: three weeks after he was ousted as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

McCarthy took part in a debate titled, ‘This House Believes US Interventionism Has Done More Harm Than Good.’ McCarthy was one of half a dozen speakers at the event. His speech opposed the motion.

At one stage, he criticized the appearance of Republicans as a party, saying, “When you look at the Democrats, they actually look like America. When I look at my party, we look like the most restrictive country club in America.”

Kevin McCarthy: “When you look at the Democrats, they actually look like America. When I look at my party, we look like the most restrictive country club in America.” pic.twitter.com/UFJTmTY75c

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) December 7, 2023

The clip surprised many.

So Kevin McCarthy is acknowledging his party looks like a white supremacist party?

— Island Girl – 100% Pro-Choice, Vote Blue (@bluepolitics_) December 7, 2023

We love it when Republicans write campaign commercials for The Democratic Party.

It does sound easy though… 😹

— Jeffrey Ⓥ (@LiftForever67) December 8, 2023

[Insert saying about a broke clock]

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) December 8, 2023

Wow. True. Never expected to hear this from him.

— OAS Correspondent (@Orionarmstar) December 7, 2023

They’re always so brave when they leave 🙄

— Shannon (@gardengirl125) December 8, 2023

Democratic diversity

Even a cursory glance at a collection of Democratic lawmakers shows a greater mix of racial diversity within their ranks. There’s also more LGBTQ+ Democratic lawmakers by a large proportion. The only out-gay Republican elected to Congress was George Santos in 2022. And we all know how that turned out.

You can watch the entirety of McCarthy’s debate speech below. It doesn’t include the portion in the video, so it’s unclear at what stage in the evening he made those comments, or the wider context. For those interested, the debate motion did not pass, with 175 voting against and 160 in favor.

Following his ousting as speaker, McCarthy revealed this week that he plans to leave Congress by the end of the year. News of his departure was welcomed by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, the man who prompted McCarthy’s ousting. He mockingly posted on X, “McLeavin’”.

McLeavin’

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 6, 2023

Related:

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The former House Speaker allegedly elbowed a colleague from behind, while Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin challenged Teamsters head Sean O’Brien to a fight.

GOP Rep. throws epic shade at Matt Gaetz and others who ousted McCarthy

“We don’t deserve you.”