United States of America

Republicans Voice Support for Trump as Next Speaker

OCT 4 2023·Updated AUG 27

Story

Image credit: Office of the Speaker [via Wikimedia Commons]

The Facts

Following the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) announced late Tuesday that he would look to nominate former US Pres. Donald Trump to be the next speaker of the House.
The Hill
While Nehls wasn’t one of the eight Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy, he announced on X that he would nominate Trump as McCarthy isn’t running for the speakership again. All House Democrats joined the eight conservative Republicans to oust McCarthy.
Yahoo! News
Other Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, have voiced their support for Trump to become speaker. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan also said Trump would be “great,” although he announced his intent to run for the speakership.
New York Post
Speaking to reporters outside a New York City courtroom, Trump said he had received many calls about becoming speaker. He added that he would help Republicans in any way he can but that his “sole focus is being president.”
FOX News
While every House speaker in US history has been a member of the lower chamber, the Constitution doesn’t place any such requirements. However, despite having support from the right wing of his party, some are skeptical that Trump could muster 218 votes to become speaker.
NBC
In addition to Rep. Jordan, Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise and Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern also announced their bids for the role on Wednesday. Other potential contenders include Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer and Texas Rep. Chip Roy.
The Wall Street Journal

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

There's no better choice for House speaker than Trump and many House Republicans are already coming to his support. While Trump’s primary mission is to retake the White House, he could serve as speaker in the meantime, which would allow him to restore order and unity in the House.

InfoWars

Anti-Trump narrative

While the House was able to oust Kevin McCarthy from his role — largely thanks to Democrats — it won't be able to secure Trump the speakership. Trump is being indicted for multiple crimes, and House rules disqualify people in his situation from becoming speaker. Besides, he doesn't have enough GOP support to win the vote.

MS Now