Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy formally endorses Trump for the 2024 race - and says he's open to serving in his cabinet

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has formally endorsed Donald Trump for the 2024 race, adding that he is open to serving in his White House cabinet.

During a preview of an interview for CBS Sunday Morning, McCarthy told CBS anchor Robert Costa that the 45th president could 'count on his support.'

The California Rep. did not endorse Trump while serving as speaker.

He was ousted after 216 of his former colleagues - including eight Republicans - voted in favor of a motion to vacate, making him the first speaker ever removed from the role.

Just last week, he announced his plans to leave Congress at the end of the month.

When asked if Trump would be the Republican nominee in the upcoming presidential election, McCarthy responded: 'Yes. And if Biden stays as the nominee for the Democrats, I believe Donald Trump will win.

'I believe the Republicans will gain more seats in the House and the Republicans will win the Senate.'

McCarthy said the former President could count on his support. 

'That's an endorsement?' Costa asked.

'I will support the president. I will support President Trump,' McCarthy responded.

On the possibility of serving in a Trump cabinet, the former speaker said he would do so 'in the right position' and if he was 'the best person for the job.'

'Look, I worked with President Trump on a lot of policies. We worked together to win the majority,' he said, characterizing their relationship as one 'where we’re very honest with one another.'

McCarthy first took office in the House in 2007 and quickly climbed the ranks.  He won speakership during the 15th round of votes in January after facing continuous opposition from some hardline Republicans.

However, his opponents' frustration grew amid debt ceiling negotiations with President Joe Biden.

Members of the House Freedom Caucus blasted McCarthy for agreeing to a plan that didn’t go far enough to curb spending as they saw it. Some labelled the compromise a 'betrayal.'

The final straw was McCarthy’s handling of the appropriations process as a government shutdown loomed.

With government funding levels set to expire at the end of September and zero spending bills passed in the lower chamber, McCarthy decided to introduce a stopgap measure to extend government funding through mid-November.

Ultraconservative members of the Republican caucus insisted they weren't afraid of a shutdown if necessary. The measure only passed in the lower chamber due to Democratic support.

Days later, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced a motion that would remove McCarthy from his position as speaker. The motion to table the bill, or set it aside, failed, leading to a vote on the motion to vacate.

It passed with a final tally of 216-210. After serving for 269 days, McCarthy's tenure came to an end on October 3.

The California Republican said it only became clear to him he would be ousted moments before the historic vote.

'I called my leadership team, I said, "We're not going to win this one,"' he told Dailymail.com in an exclusive interview last month. 'And I told them, "I'm not going to run again."'

After he was relieved of his duties as speaker, McCarthy slammed the eight House Republicans who voted against him, accusing them of siding with Democrats and 'disrupting government.'

The Republicans who voted in favor of removing McCarthy were Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eli Crane of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Matt Rosendale of Montana.

It was the first time in history that the chamber had voted out a speaker - and it came as a victory for Gaetz, who filed the motion against McCarthy after months of threats and jabs.

On December 6, following McCarthy's announcement that he was leaving Congress altogether, Gaetz quipped in a tweet: 'McLeavin'.'

The House Republican majority will shrink to two following the expulsion of New York Rep. George Santos. The special election for that seat is February 13.

McCarthy told Dailymail.com he didn't need a 'title' to continue representing the American public and help the country 'move forward.'

'One thing about me is I never give up,' McCarthy said.

'Everywhere I go, people walk up and say to me, 'what happened to you is not right',' he said. 'You know, you can't look backwards. You've gotta look forward.'

He added: 'I'm very proud of what we were able to accomplish in such a short amount of time.'

Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson was unanimously selected as McCarthy's successor after 22 days, thirteen failed candidates, four nominees and four floor votes.

Johnson is a father-of-four who entered Congress in 2017 and is serving his fourth term.

The Louisiana Republican is a staunch Trump supporter, having earned the former president's backing in his reelections since 2016 and attended multiple rallies.

He opposed the certification of the 2020 presidential election results and took the lead in filing a brief in a lawsuit that sought to overturn Biden's victory. The congressman was also a member of Trump's impeachment defense team.

In his interview with Dailymail.com, McCarthy advised Johnson on the best way to lead the GOP conference, stating: 'Bring in a psychiatrist for many of these members.'