A video of the tense exchange quickly went viral on social media, reaching more than 2.1 million views as of Saturday morning.
The encounter was emblematic of a House in chaos, as Republican Congress members—who hold only a narrow majority in the lower chamber—could not seem to agree on who would take over as speaker.
Representative Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, ultimately clinched the win in the 15th round of voting. He also agreed to various concessions to appease his party’s band of ultraconservative holdouts, Gaetz chief among them.
Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at the Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic who has written for Wired and Slate, tweeted a C-SPAN video of the moment.
“Rep. [Richard] Hudson grabbed Rep. Mike Rogers by the face after he confronted Matt Gaetz,” Caraballo tweeted early Saturday morning. “This happened right after Kevin McCarty Kevin McCarthy [sic] also confronted Matt Gaetz. First physical altercation on the floor of the House sknce [sic] 1985. Complete meltdown.”
Erik Wasson, a congressional reporter for Bloomberg, tweeted the video clip along with the caption: “Most extraordinary CSpan floor video I have ever seen.”
Former congressional candidate Dr. Dena Grayson also posted C-SPAN’s video of the fracas.
“As McCarthy stalks off, Mike Rogers immediately approaches Gaetz and lunges for him, only to be physically manhandled by Richard Hudson,” she wrote in part. “On January 6, no less. [woman facepalming emoji].”
Two years ago to the day—on January 6, 2021,—supporters of then-President Donald Trump swarmed the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election. For many, the day remains a blight on the nation’s history and worked to expose the fragility of the country’s democracy.
On Saturday, the Associated Press reported details of the moments leading up to the House floor confrontation between the GOP congressmen. McCarthy had implored Gaetz to vote for him instead of “present,” but the Florida lawmaker declined.
At that, the would-be House speaker trudged by himself back down the aisle, his gaze cast downward. He reversed course, however, after hearing commotion behind him.
Rogers, who is one of McCarthy’s allies, had approached Gaetz to warn that he would regret the move, the AP reported. Representative Richard Hudson, a North Carolina Republican, tried to hold Rogers back after he stepped toward his stubborn colleague.
Hudson put his hand over Rogers’ face and pulled the congressman backward. The heated moments prompted lawmakers to yell out, astonished.
McCarthy again lost during the 14th-round vote, but not long after, managed to eke out a win. “I hope one thing is clear,” he said in the early morning hours of Saturday. “I never give up.”
Newsweek reached out to the offices of Gaetz and Rogers for comment.
