Trump has been 'bad-mouthing' Kevin McCarthy and questioning if he should be speaker: report

Former president Donald Trump has reportedly been bad-mouthing House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy behind closed doors — and suggesting that perhaps someone else would make a better speaker should Republicans recapture a majority in the chamber in 2022.

In an extensive story about McCarthy published Friday, the Washington Post reported that he and Trump have a "hot and cold relationship."

"McCarthy called for Trump to be censured after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by the president's supporters, only to later visit the former president at his Florida resort to solicit his help in next year's campaign," the Post reported. "Trump has complained to allies about McCarthy's support of his censure, and recently told a talk radio host that he planned to push the minority leader to stop financially supporting Republicans who voted for his impeachment."

Trump's aides reportedly told the Post that the former president has been "privately bad-mouthing McCarthy to advisers and entertaining the possibility that someone else might make a better speaker."

"Aides say Trump has learned to be wary of McCarthy's different interests, even as they continue to work together," the Post reports. "Trump, these aides say, has still not forgiven McCarthy for his proposed censure for the Capitol riot."

"He'll never get over that," one Trump adviser said. "It's really their main disagreement."