McCarthy will need a majority of votes to beat back the motion, but Republicans hold only a five-seat majority. It’s unclear if Gaetz has more than handful of other members who will support him, but at least one Democrat — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — has said she would vote to remove McCarthy.

No speaker has ever been removed in this way, though such motions have been attempted a few times in history.

Moments after he spoke on the House floor earlier on Monday, teasing that he would bring the motion against McCarthy, Gaetz conceded to ABC News that he may not have the votes to kick McCarthy out of his job as he addressed reporters outside the Capitol.

Asked by ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott if he would he try again if his efforts fail, Gaetz said, “Yeah.”

“Well, like I’ve said, it took Speaker McCarthy 15 votes to become the speaker. So until I get to 14 or 15, I don’t think I’m being any more dilatory than he was,” he said.

ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.