McCarthy in the hot seat after apparent Trump diss

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has run afoul of Donald Trump and his allies after seeming to cast doubt on the former president's status as the strongest Republican candidate to challenge President Joe Biden.

During a CNBC appearance this week, McCarthy suggested Trump could indeed beat Biden, but suggested that other candidates could also challenge him, while also acknowledging Biden might win.

"The question is, is he the strongest to win the election? I don’t know that answer," he said. "Yeah, anybody can beat Biden. Can Biden beat other people? Yes, Biden can beat them."

The California Republican's non-committal word salad drew immediate backlash from Trump's allies, prompting the speaker to quickly pivot and run a fundraising email asserting that "Trump is the STRONGEST opponent to Biden!" Politico reported.

In attempting to walk back his comments, however, McCarthy may have dug himself into a deeper hole with the former president. He crucially neglected to secure Trump's permission before running the fundraiser, prompting the Trump camp to demand he take it down.

McCarthy has not endorsed Trump in the 2024 Republican primary, a decision that has generated considerable speculation as to the future of the pair's political relationship. Trump, for his part, backed McCarthy to help him claim the speaker's gavel during a tense leadership struggle earlier this year.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.