House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has made a prediction about who he believes will win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination: The 45th President of the United States.

During an appearance on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo, McCarthy expressed confidence that Donald Trump would prevail over all others in the nomination race.“I think he will be the nominee,” McCarthy said about Trump. “The thing is, President Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016 or 2020, and there’s a reason why. They saw the policies of what he was able to do with America – putting America first, making our economy stronger.”

“We didn’t have inflation. We didn’t have these battles around the world. We didn’t look weak around the world,” he added.

“Well, it looks like Ron DeSantis is now trying to work with your colleagues who are pushing for a shutdown,” Bartiromo countered.

“I don’t think that would work anywhere. A shutdown would only give strength to the Democrats,” McCarthy noted, citing the political disadvantages he sees of an inability to fund the government. “It would give the power to Biden. It wouldn’t pay our troops. It wouldn’t pay our border agents.”“I actually want to achieve something, and this is where President Trump is so smart — that he was successful in this.” McCarthy continued. “President Trump is beating Biden right now in the polls. He is stronger than he has ever been in this process, and, look, I served with Ron DeSantis – he’s not at the same level as President Trump by any shape or form. He would not have gotten elected without President Trump’s endorsement.”