Kevin McCarthy - the man who empowers the US President.

President Trump and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: Internet

Win the President's favor with Starburst candy.

Last October, during a domestic trip, U.S. President Donald Trump and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy sat together in the presidential cabin on Air Force One en route to Washington state.

The White House occupant reached for a handful of Starburst candies, a brand of square-shaped gummy candies. But instead of tearing the whole bar apart, Trump only selected the cherry and strawberry flavored ones, McCarthy recalled.

"We sat there, there seemed to be an invisible distance between us, and then he offered me a few," McCarthy recalled in an interview with The Washington Post.

“Those are two, one red and one pink.” A moment later, two of Trump’s aides whispered to McCarthy about the two candies. “Those are the colors the President likes.”

In the days that followed, the second-highest ranking Republican in the House of Representatives—a man known for his relentless efforts to expand political alliances—ordered a significant quantity of Starburst candy.

He instructed an employee to arrange the candies so that only those two flavors were in one jar. McCarthy tried to have his name on the gift, as a way to curry favor with the President. This detail, recounted by a White House official, also reveals how many top Republican lawmakers cultivated relationships with Trump.

Donald Trump's friend

The action also highlighted McCarthy's special role as a friend of President Donald Trump, a problem-solving expert over the past year. This blatant attempt at ingratiation also irritated Democrats and many Republicans.

From midterm election discussions at Camp David to bipartisan meetings on immigration, McCarthy, 52, skillfully positioned himself as a close confidant of President Trump in Congress, an approachable Republican.

President Donald Trump made no secret of this relationship, and even seemed to enjoy the loyalty of a senior Republican leader.

Kevin McCarthy also stood by President Trump throughout the recent anti-immigrant rhetoric scandal. He was the one who backed the US President when Trump claimed he was not a racist and would never make such comments.

President Trump shakes hands with Kevin McCarthy in the Roosevelt Room at the White House last June. Photo: The Washington Post

Last week, during a meeting at the White House, President Trump appeared to be leaning towards agreeing with Democratic lawmakers on an unconditional immigration deal to protect many immigrants who came to the U.S. as children from deportation.

At that point, McCarthy quickly jumped in and offered his opinion: “Mr. President, however, you need to make it clear… You need security.” McCarthy said, urging Trump to immediately abandon that idea.

The ability to adapt to the situation without offending the president allowed Republican members to continue the meeting while still steering the discussion in their favor.

At Camp David earlier this month, McCarthy was tasked with explaining the obstacles the Republican Party faces in the November midterm elections.

He had to navigate financial hurdles and bleak scenarios in a series of races. He also didn't forget to urge President Trump to do everything he could to raise funds for the struggling Republican party.

President Trump seemed to appreciate McCarthy's presentation as he used images and charts to illustrate his points rather than bullet points or statistics. It was a fundamental and 'foundational' presentation that helped explain the president's schedule leading up to the midterm elections.

A White House official who attended the meeting also said that Trump may not have paid much attention to the other presentations besides McCarthy's. This could be an indication of the trust the US president placed in him.

While Trump sent mixed signals through angry Twitter messages that disappointed many Republican lawmakers, McCarthy continued to tell his colleagues that the president wouldn't change and the best thing to do was to accept him for who he was.

Critics of McCarthy called him an executive who was only interested in improving his position in the House of Representatives by conforming to the standards that form the foundation of the Republican Party.

Some are worried that McCarthy's attempts to curry favor with Trump will only make the President more comfortable acting, rather than restraining him. This could be the test that Republicans will give McCarthy in the coming period.