An at-times annoyed, downcast, and even humorous Kevin McCarthy took to the podium Tuesday evening to hold a nearly hour-long press conference discussing his ouster from the House Speakership position, an effort spearheaded by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

McCarthy lit into his colleague from Florida, indicated that he would not run for the speakership again, said the eight Republicans who voted against were not real conservatives, and even hinted he might resign from office altogether.

Watch:

I will not seek to run again for Speaker of the House. I may have lost a vote today, but I fought for what I believe in—and I believe in America. It has been an honor to serve. https://t.co/4EMpOuwtzy

— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) October 3, 2023

Despite the extreme setback, McCarthy remained optimistic:

'I will not run for speaker again,' McCarthy said in a nearly hour-long press conference that veered from combative to laugh filled.

'I may have lost the vote today. But as I walk out of this chamber, I feel fortunate to have served the American people,' he said. 'I leave the speakership with a sense of pride and accomplishment. And yes optimism.'

However, when asked about staying in Congress, he responded with a very open-ended answer. 'I'll look at that," was all he said.

He added that he wouldn't have done anything differently, despite the outcome, and thinks the rebellious Republicans who removed him from office (with help from the Democrats) are doing the country a disservice:

'Unfortunately, four percent of our conference can join all the Democrats and dictate who can be the Republican Speaker in this House,' he said. 'I don't think that rule is good for the institution, but apparently I'm the only one.'

'I wouldn't change a thing,' he noted.

He then moved on to express his anger toward his nemesis, Matt Gaetz, and said flat-out that the matter was personal for the Florida congressman and not just political:

'I don't think it says [anything] about the Republican Party. I think it says something about some people who are not a conservative,' he said of the vote. 

He also tore into Gaetz.

'It was personal,' he said of Gaetz's move to oust him. 'It had nothing to do about spending.'

He said it was all about 'getting attention.' 

'I mean, we're getting email fundraisers from him as he's doing,' he noted. 'Regardless of what you think, I've seen the texts. It was all about his Ethics, but that's alright.'

Gaetz and McCarthy have been locked in an epic power struggle all year, since it took McCarthy 15 rounds of votes in January to secure the speakership.

'Just because Gaetz said something don't believe it's true. I haven't heard him say one true thing yet,' McCarthy noted. 

Gaetz, for his part, said he had former President Donald Trump's backing in spearheading McCarthy's removal:

Matt Gaetz: I Had Donald Trump's Blessing to Oust Kevin McCarthy From Speakership

The drama is far from over, as a new Speaker must be chosen in a process that could soon prove chaotic. After all, we saw in January that it took a full 15 ballots for McCarthy to narrowly capture the job, and tensions consistently rose between the now-former Speaker and the conservative House Freedom Caucus from that point on.

No one name has stood out as the front-runner, although many are floating possible selections:

Speaker McCarthy Is Ousted. Who, Then, Shall Replace Him?

As for McCarthy, who knows where he goes from here. He lobbied hard for the job, and it's got to be galling to have it ripped away. At times during the press briefing, he seemed optimistic, sometimes even jocular, but at others, he looked like he'd been punched in the gut.

"May you live in interesting times" is a famous Chinese saying that some insist is actually a curse. For those who work in the Capitol, especially Republicans, the times just got very interesting indeed.