- Kevin McCarthy said Trump was "too much," which cost him votes that then went to Biden.
- McCarthy called Trump a "massive headache."
- The comments were published in a new book, "Thank You for Your Servitude."
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he thought Donald Trump lost votes to Joe Biden because people grew weary of the then-president, according to a new book.
"Too much stimulus, too much exposure. That got Biden a lot of votes," McCarthy said, according to "Thank You for Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission."
But according to the book, written by journalist Mark Leibovich and out on Tuesday, the weariness with Trump began early on in his presidency. Just a few weeks into Trump's term, in 2017, McCarthy said, "It was just too much" and that a GOP House colleague told him it felt as though two years had passed.
"People are just going to be worn out," the person, who isn't named in the book, reportedly told McCarthy.
In the book, Leibovich wrote that the main reason Trump lost reelection in 2020 was because "huge numbers of Americans were simply done with this guy."
"They were sick of his face on their screens and the space he occupied in their heads," he wrote. "Trump had become a burning irritant across every realm, like a national canker sore."
The book contains numerous inside-the-room tidbits about Trump's presidency and the Republicans in Congress who supported him. It also has several accounts of Trump's relationship with McCarthy, whom he called "my Kevin."
McCarthy became the Republican leader in the House in 2018 after former House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin resigned.
Republicans expect to gain a majority in the US House in November, and McCarthy has made it clear he'll be seeking the speakership. To attain that role, McCarthy has recognized he'll need to keep Trump close, the book said.
But the book also revealed that behind Trump's back McCarthy has called the former president "a massive headache" and a "major pain in my ass." McCarthy often didn't want to talk to him about Trump, Leibovich wrote.
"It was as if the former president were sitting on his shoulder, watching for any sign of disloyalty," Leibovich wrote. "McCarthy flashed something between a wince and a grimace whenever Trump was mentioned. He looked worried that a ceiling fan was about to drop on his head."
McCarthy's office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Insider about his recollection of events or whether he had a response to the book. Trump's post-presidential office also did not reply to a request for comment.