A viral post shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, claims former President Donald Trump purportedly released a statement saying California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy was a worse Speaker of the House than former Speaker Paul Ryan.

OMG – THIS FILTH OF A HUMAN. pic.twitter.com/jJmGpgzow7

— Peter Manelyuk (@petermanel) October 4, 2023

Verdict: False

The statement neither appears on Trump’s website nor his TRUTH Social account, and there is no evidence he made the purported remark.

Fact Check:

Trump has ruled out a bid to replace McCarthy as Speaker of the House after Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia) and Troy Nehls (Texas) suggested him for the role, according to The Hill. Amid Trump’s rejection of the role, Republican Reps. Steven Scalise (Louisiana) and Jim Jordan (Ohio) have both launched bids to succeed McCarthy, CNN reported.

“Kevin McCarthy, who did a very poor job as Speaker of the House, has just been removed. He was a worse Speaker than Paul Ryan, if you can believe it,” the purported statement from Trump shared via X reads. The statement further claims that Trump never endorsed McCarthy as Speaker. The post has been viewed over 20,000 times as of writing.

The claim is false, however, as the statement neither appears on Trump’s website nor his TRUTH Social account. Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting Trump made the purported remark. In addition, McCarthy and Ryan have not publicly addressed the claim.

Furthermore, the claim that Trump did not support McCarthy in his bid for Speaker of the House is also false. According to a January 2023 article from NBC News, Trump urged Republicans to elect McCarthy in both a TRUTH Social post and in phone calls to lawmakers. McCarthy also told reporters Trump had reiterated his support while speaking to them outside the U.S. Capitol at the time, the outlet reported.

Trump endorsed McCarthy after Republicans failed to elect him as House Speaker three times, according to Politico. McCarthy was ousted as House Speaker on Oct. 3 via a “motion to vacate” led by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, The Associated Press reported. The vote represents the first time a House Speaker has been removed from office, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Did Kevin McCarthy Make ‘Several Unproven Claims’ In His Impeachment Inquiry Announcement?)

Check Your Fact has contacted Trump and McCarthy spokespersons for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.