House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) tossed a barb at his predecessor on Tuesday, explaining in a brief video clip why he does not intend to tear up his copy of President Joe Biden’s speech following his State of the Union address.
McCarthy’s reference was clearly aimed at former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who sparked outrage from the Right — and applause from within her own party — when she stood and ripped up her copy of former President Donald Trump’s 2020 State of the Union speech.
“A lot of people have been asking if I’m planning on ripping up President Biden’s speech tonight. Here’s my answer,” McCarthy tweeted along with the video clip.
WATCH:
A lot of people have been asking if I'm planning on ripping up President Biden’s speech tonight. Here’s my answer: pic.twitter.com/WRlAlYgCbs
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) February 7, 2023
“You know, I don’t believe in the theatrics of tearing up speeches,” McCarthy said, adding, “I respect the other side. I can disagree on policy, but I want to make sure this country is stronger, economically sound, energy independent, secure, and accountable.”
McCarthy gave his own speech on Monday, one day ahead of Biden’s State of the Union, torching Democrats for continuing down the path of reckless spending followed by repeatedly raising the debt ceiling instead of adjusting the spending in order to pay down the debt.
“Thanks to four years of runaway spending by the Democrats, they increased annual discretionary spending by $400 billion – that’s a 30% increase in just four years. They took our nation’s credit card, spent like crazy, and left us in deep debt. But not once did they seek or accept any responsibility. Instead, they doubled down,” McCarthy said.
“In 2021, Democrats passed the largest debt limit increase in American history,” he added. “Then, they maxed out our nation’s credit card again just 13 months later. Now, President Biden wants Congress to raise the debt limit yet again … without a single, sensible change to how government spends your hard-earned money. None.”
Biden’s address on Tuesday evening is expected to focus on economic gains and will be immediately followed by a Republican response given by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.