Ex-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy Claims Nancy Pelosi Used to 'Yell' at Republicans That They 'Shouldn't Be in the Room'

Former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy claimed during a Fox News appearance that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi used to yell at Republicans, telling them they "shouldn't be in the room.”

McCarthy recounted his past interactions with Pelosi, describing her as enraged during leadership meetings.

Media reports noted a history of conflicting accounts about who shouted. For instance, reports from 2021 during the formation of the January 6th Select Committee alleged that Pelosi faced a "wall of screaming" from McCarthy after she rejected some of his committee picks.

The two lawmakers have shared a notoriously frosty relationship for years, previously trading public insults such as Pelosi calling McCarthy a "moron", and McCarthy making controversial jokes about hitting her with a gavel.

In July 2021, caught on a hot mic or by reporters outside the Capitol, Pelosi referred to McCarthy as "such a moron" after he criticized the Capitol physician’s mandatory indoor mask guidance as unscientific. Her office later clarified that she viewed his rhetoric on the mask mandate as "moronic."

“It’s true of how they would treat us. Nancy Pelosi really felt this about us. Like, we shouldn’t be in the room; she would yell at me sometimes. And then, they would put magnetometers to try to deny us from entering, and you couldn’t co-author with us,” he said.

“It was so outrageous that you couldn’t respect the other one, and this is the problem I have, where I think America has failed a little bit when it came to politics. We should be able to disagree with somebody without being disrespectful,” he said without irony, disregarding President Donald Trump’s penchant for nicknames and outbursts at those who disagree with him.

McCarthy was addressing a controversial Fox News graphic that characterized the deep cultural and political divide in the United States. Speaking on Jesse Watters Primetime, the former House Speaker used the polling data to explain "Trump Derangement Syndrome,” a term used by MAGA Republicans to blast anyone who criticizes Trump and his policies.

The on-screen graphic, titled "How Each Side Views the Other," claimed that the dominant conservative view of liberals is condescending ("children"). In contrast, the dominant liberal view of conservatives is hostile ("savages").

McCarthy validated the graphic's premise completely, using it to argue that liberals' viewing of conservatives as "savages" explains their intense, emotional opposition to Trump and his supporters.

After McCarthy was ousted as Speaker in 2023, Pelosi laughed off claims that she played a role in his removal, stating jokingly, "I'm so powerful," and adding, "Just learn how to count, and then you'll have the votes to do it." She also advised Democrats not to bail him out of the ouster vote, saying the integrity of the institution matters, but "if you don't respect it, Democrats shouldn't be expected to bail you out.

The historic removal occurred through a 216–210 vote on a "motion to vacate" the speaker's chair, marking the first time in U.S. history that a floor vote removed a sitting House Speaker. The effort was led by far-right former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who targeted McCarthy after he relied on Democratic votes to pass a stopgap funding bill and avert a government shutdown. Ultimately, eight Republicans voted alongside 208 Democrats to remove him from the position.

“It is so true, and this is where they get the Trump syndrome,” McCarthy said.

“If you noticed in that, the Republicans respect the other side. They just thought you were children. We had hope that they would grow up one day. But they treated us and thought of us as monsters and murderers. How would you ever look to that person to be better?” he asked.