Gaetz rejects outsider status: ‘I’m trying to reshape the House in my image’

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) made clear Sunday that he sees himself as the future of the House GOP. The firebrand congressman told The Wall Street Journal that he has no plans to leave Congress, and intends to exert his will over the caucus from within.

“I’m trying to reshape the House in my image,” he told the Journal, describing himself as a Republican who can “end the wars, shut the border, reduce the spending” and is a “fighter.”

Gaetz has made a reputation as one of the House’s most brash members, unafraid to go against party leadership. He led a group of eight Republicans to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last year, and is among the harshest critics of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).