Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) recently opened up about his upcoming retirement from Congress. 

According to The Daily Wire, McCarthy made it clear that he doesn't want to mimic former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's career in the sense that he prefers not to stick around after losing the speakership.

He opened up during a Fox News interview with host Brian Kilmeade over the weekend.

McCarthy was ousted from his speakership post earlier this year after a group of House Republicans teamed up with Democrats to pass the historic vote to remove him from the post.

What did he say?

Kilmeade asked McCarthy why he would let Pelosi "outlast" him in Congress. McCarthy's answer was straight to the point.

"That’s probably not the legacy that I want, that I just stayed around," McCarthy responded. "I wanted to make sure I did something here."

McCarthy Says He Doesn’t Want To Pull A Pelosi https://t.co/1gppCTC9hA pic.twitter.com/ONO7w1xsxh

— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) December 17, 2023

It was noted that Pelosi, who lost her speakership position when Republicans took control of the House during the last election, also relinquished her minority leadership position.

In September, at age 83, she announced that she would still seek another term in Congress. She's served since 1987.

McCarthy doesn't agree

McCarthy, 58, has a much different take on whether or not Pelosi and other aging members of Congress should stick around for so long, especially after holding powerful leadership positions.

"I mean, one of the reasons Speaker Pelosi wants to stay around, she said they need her to fix the problems in San Francisco, but she’s been there the whole time the problems were created," McCarthy said. "So I believe it’s the Founders have always designed this to have new blood come in."

Earlier in December, in the wake of House Republicans electing Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to the powerful leadership position, McCarthy announced that he would not seek another term, but would continue to help recruit new members.

"I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office," McCarthy's statement at the time read.

He added, "The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders."