Trump says he WOULD take over as speaker temporarily to help unify a Republican party in chaos: Donald would be third in line to the presidency until a new speaker is chosen
- Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would accept the House speakership temporarily to help unify House Republicans
- Trump is already expected to attend the House GOP’s candidate forum on Tuesday
- The ex-president had already been teasing taking over the speaker’s gavel on Truth Social Wednesday
Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he was willing to step in and be Speaker of the House for up to 90 days to help unify a Republican Party in disarray after Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s chaotic ousting.
The former president is already expected to wade into the drama on Capitol Hill next week by appearing at a candidate forum for the race for House speaker on Tuesday.
Trump – who is running for president again – spoke to Fox News Digital and said he would be open to briefly taking the job himself.
‘I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,’ Trump said. ‘If they don’t get the vote, they have asked me if I would consider taking the speakership until they get somebody longer-term because I am running for president.’
The speaker of the House is third in line to the White House in the order of presidential succession.
Mr Speaker? Former President Donald Trump posted an image of himself presiding over the House Chamber – after several House Republicans floated his name for Speaker
Trump addresses the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives, delivering his State of the Union address in February 2019
Trump’s Washington appearance is expected after he makes a presidential campaign stop in New Hampshire Monday and before he headlines a fundraiser in Palm Beach, Florida Wednesday.
Trump already had been teasing doing the job.
He posted a meme of himself sitting in the speaker’s chair while holding a giant gavel on Wednesday after a number of allies in the House put his name forward.
If Trump decides to back a candidate in the race it could be a boon for firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan – a close ally who has led the fight against so-called ‘weaponization’ of the Justice Department against Trump from the House.
Jordan is running for the job against No. 2 Republican Steve Scalise, Majority Leader, after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the job on Monday.
But Trump could technically become speaker as it’s not required that the speaker be a member of the House.
‘If Trump becomes Speaker of the House, the House chamber will be like a Trump rally everyday!!’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X. ‘It would be the House of MAGA!!!’
Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Kevin McCarthy ally, slammed the gavel while sending the house into recess minutes after McCarthy was ousted
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy departs the office still bearing his nameplate on Thursday. McCarthy was dramatically ousted from the speakership earlier this week
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sarcastically chimed in, ‘No thanks, we’re good. We’ve seen a Trump rally at the Capitol already.’
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said he believes Trump coming to the forum will help ‘unify’ Republicans around a candidate.
‘I think what he’ll do is he’ll come in there and unify us, tell us to get behind somebody else.’
The GOP conference, currently led by interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., has to agree to allow Trump to attend.
While it would be unlikely they’d bar the leader of the party from the forum, his attendance would likely be met with silent groans from Republicans looking to bring order back to the House.
‘Trump at the candidate forum would only make a tumultuous situation worse,’ one senior House GOP aide told DailyMail.com. ‘Anyone who thinks he has any chance of becoming speaker is an unserious lawmaker interested only in media attention and social media engagement.
And according to House GOP conference rules, no one who has been indicted for a felony can serve in leadership.
Trump has been indicted four times.
However there is a chance Trump could try to be speaker but not a member of the House GOP conference.
It’s nearly impossible he would ever actually be elected speaker and he has said he is focused on the presidential race.
House members have been sent home to ‘cool off’ until Tuesday, when they will come back for a contentious debate over who should lead the lower chamber.
Whoever gets the job will be tasked with presiding over a four-vote majority in a conference where a succession of leaders have departed on difficult terms.
McCarthy was ousted in a historic vote on a motion to vacate brought forth by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.
Gaetz is a Trump loyalist who said he spoke to Trump by phone during McCarthy’s final days and suggested Trump backed his efforts.
But Trump also made a social media post where he asked why Republicans were fighting each other instead of President Biden, which seemed to urge them to knock it off.
‘Why is it that Republicans are always fighting among themselves, why aren’t they fighting the Radical Left Democrats who are destroying our Country?’ Trump posted.
Eight Republicans sided with the entire Democratic caucus to push out their leader – making McCarthy the shortest-lived speaker in 140 years and the first one ever to be pushed out in the middle of his term.
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