Outrage, Loyalty, and the Price of Power

Trey Gowdy, former prosecutor and congressman and current author and host of Sunday Night in America on Fox News, reflects on why the ouster of his friend former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy in 2023 still bothers him and what it reveals about modern politics. McCarthy was the first Speaker to be removed by a "motion to vacate" in US history. Gowdy argues that a small faction of attention-seekers undermined majority rule and rewarded disloyalty over leadership. Gowdy traces how narrow margins and media incentives paved the way for McCarthy’s fall and the rise of his successor, the current Speaker Mike Johnson. Along the way, he contrasts today’s political chaos with the rule-bound fairness of the courtroom. The episode ultimately asks whether Americans will keep rewarding outrage or start incentivizing integrity.

Tell us your argument stories!

• Email guest and topic suggestions to us at [e-mail]
• Follow us on Instagram