In an unprecedented move, California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted as House speaker. While it isn't clear who will occupy the speaker's chair next, McCarthy has confirmed that it won't be him. 

McCarthy says he did "the right thing"

According to Breitbart, McCarthy made that declaration on Tuesday evening, saying, "I believe I can continue to fight, maybe in a different manner. I will not run for Speaker again, I’ll have the conference pick somebody else."

Kevin McCarthy won't seek the speakership again after historic House vote🏛️🗳️ #SpeakerMcCarthy #HouseGOP pic.twitter.com/RU6BKiv1tA

— Iris (@Iris_i_Life) October 4, 2023

"Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but it is necessary," the former speaker continued before adding, "I don’t regret standing up for choosing governing over grievance."

McCarthy complained that he lost his speakership due to a relatively small number of Republican House members voting with Democrats.

McCarthy says those who voted to oust him "are not conservatives"

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

"These are the same people that never voted for me, they thought it was big that they went to ‘present’ after we went 15 rounds [in January]," the California Republican pointed out.

"I'm not quite sure those individuals are looking to be productive… They are not conservatives and they do not have the right to have the title," he insisted.

Although McCarthy did say that he "might" at some point endorse a possible successor, the lawmaker gave no indication as to when that may be.

Trump open to serving as speaker for "a short period"

Fox News reported that Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan is vying for the role and has begun approaching other House members in search of support.

"Jim Jordan made a good presentation," Fox News quoted New York Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis as saying on Wednesday.

"Probably one of his strengths is that… he’s probably most likely to be able to bring everyone together because of his relationships with both the Freedom Caucus and moderates, and the conservatives in between," she argued.

Meanwhile, Fox News also reported that former President Trump has signaled that he is willing to serve as speaker for "a short period" while Republicans look for a permanent replacement.