Table Of Content
There are some Republicans who also think the idea is a bit of a political fever dream because Trump would be unable to cobble together the 218 votes needed to win a speaker’s race. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), while acknowledging that Trump would “be great” as speaker of the House, said Tuesday he’d prefer to see him in the Oval Office after the 2024 election. “My total focus is on being president,” Trump said, noting that there are other “great people” in the GOP who could handle the job. While the House speaker is not required to be a sitting member of Congress, it is still highly unlikely that Trump could garner enough House Republican votes to actually become speaker. A spokesperson later said the California representative had meant to say Trump thought McCarthy should be speaker. Nonetheless, chatter about the most unlikely of political comebacks has spread among Trump supporters since it was raised by his former adviser Steve Bannon and since Trump himself called it “so interesting” last week.
News
The decision, the first time in U.S. history that the House has voted to remove its own speaker, now means the members of Congress must vote for the California Republican's replacement. With no clear GOP candidate in line for the role, further infighting and chaos within the party is expected as it tries to decide who to nominate. While the House’s majority party is typically able to install its speaker of choice because it holds the majority of the chamber’s votes, the speaker of the House is formally elected by the full House, with a Republican nominee facing off against a Democratic nominee. Even though speakers direct their party’s strategy and tactics in the chamber, they are also officers of the House as a whole.
Sen. Kaine says Biden could hold up ‘model’ colleges to address campus protests
As Republicans in the House of Representatives debate who should lead the lower chamber, it's notable that the House speaker — who is second in line for the presidency — doesn't have to be a member of Congress. Jordan on Wednesday became the first House Republican to officially announce that he is running for speaker. Republican former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a vocal critic of the former president and one of his 2024 presidential primary rivals, dismissed the idea of a Speaker Trump as a joke Wednesday. Trump is facing a total of 91 charges across four criminal cases — and up to 712 years and six months behind bars if convicted of all of them. “A member of the Republican Leadership shall step aside if indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years’ imprisonment may be imposed,” the Republican Conference Rules of the 118th Congress state.
Kristi Noem's Dog Killing Mocked at White House Correspondents' Dinner
Can Trump Become Speaker of the House? Indicted Ex-President Not Eligible - Bloomberg
Can Trump Become Speaker of the House? Indicted Ex-President Not Eligible.
Posted: Wed, 04 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) announced late Tuesday that he will file paperwork to nominate Trump for the role. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Greg Steube (R-Fla.) also said they would back Trump for Speaker. Typically, rules are decided at the start of each session, which was in January. Again, it is highly unlikely a Trump nomination would reach the votes necessary to make him Speaker.
Republicans erupt into open warfare over Ukraine aid package vote
Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, triggered an all-out split in his own party’s ranks last week by finally agreeing, after months of stalling, to a floor vote on the $95bn foreign aid programme. Passed by the Senate in February, it contained about $60bn for Ukraine, $14bn for Israel, and a smaller amount for Taiwan and other Pacific allies. Now, before Saturday’s extraordinary vote in Congress on a foreign aid package, they have erupted into open warfare – a conflict that the vote itself is unlikely to contain. The U.S. Senate has rejected both articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, swiftly ending the trial triggered by the House's narrow vote to impeach in February.
Yet the former president and current GOP 2024 frontrunner is ineligible for the post under the party’s own rules barring anyone under indictment for serious charges from any House leadership role. "A lot of people have been calling me about speaker," he said outside the New York City courthouse, where he faces a civil trial involving his business holdings. "All I can say is we will do whatever is best for the country and other Republican Party and people."
Protesters Hang Palestinian Flag from Venue Before Joe Biden's Speech
Other charges, such as conspiracy to obstruct justice, could bring a sentence of up to 20 years. That provision says, "A member of the Republican Leadership shall step aside if indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment may be imposed." "There will never, ever be a speaker who is not a member of the House," Punchbowl News’ John Bresnahan posted on X. Regardless of whether he intends to accept an offer to become speaker, Trump's committed to being a powerful force in the 2022 midterms in the hopes of helping Republicans retake control of Congress. Just as he plans to endorse people in the 2022 midterms, it's possible Trump could make his thoughts about who should take over as speaker of the House known, as well. "Can you just imagine Nancy Pelosi having to hand that gavel to Donald J. Trump?" Gaetz said over the summer.
Beyond Trump, Republican representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana are widely thought to be the main frontrunners for speaker. If Republicans couldn’t rally behind a permanent successor, Trump might also be in the awkward spot of staying on as speaker longer than anticipated. Even on his own proposed timeline – a “30, 60, or 90-day period” – he’d still need to negotiate real pieces of legislation. By seizing the speaker’s gavel, Trump could have depicted himself as the GOP’s white knight coming to save Republicans from themselves. He’s the one leader capable of unifying the party, or at least beating it into submission.
I nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the House,” Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) posted Tuesday night on X, formerly Twitter. Those rules could be tweaked, but having to fend off those legal battles while simultaneously juggling a gig as a speaker could prove to be challenging even for someone with Trump’s self-proclaimed dynamism. While the speaker of the House doesn’t technically have to be a sitting member of Congress, having a non-member fill the role — let alone a former president — would be unprecedented. “My total focus is on being president,” Trump added, noting that there are other “great people” in the GOP who could handle the job. "McCarthy is the 4/6 favorite after being endorsed by Donald Trump on social media, while the former US president is 33/1 to be the House speaker. McCarthy's closest competition appears to be Scalise, who is 2/1 to win the race," Rosbottom said. Bookmakers Betfair, which operates the world's largest online betting site, told Newsweek on Thursday that they were offering odds of 33/1 on Trump becoming speaker.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, the outspoken Georgia representative, immediately filed a resolution demanding Johnson’s removal, called the bill a “sham”. In a press conference after the trial, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he felt "very strongly that we had to set a precedent that impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements." "By doing what we just did, we have in effect, ignored the directions of the House, which were to have a trial," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell after senators killed the second article. The articles charged Mayorkas with willfully ignoring the law and breaching the public's trust. Democrats called the opposition a policy dispute, and said it did not rise to "high crimes and misdemeanors," as required for impeachment.
The Speaker is both traditionally and historically a sitting member of the majority party in the House. Depending on the partisan makeup of Congress, the Speaker can make or break a US president's agenda, hinder the opposition and spearhead their party's biggest legislative initiatives. The little-known position is elected by lawmakers every two years when the House gathers for a new Congress.
On Monday, the former president was asked about the idea in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. He retains control of the Republican party and has publicly mulled another run for the presidency in 2024. Donald Trump has “zero desire” to be speaker of the House of Representatives, a spokesman said, after the former president discussed the outlandish idea. In case this isn't obvious, Trump has been indicted for multiple felonies, across multiple jurisdictions, and the potential sentences are well in excess of two years behind bars.
Even though these Republicans voiced support for Trump as speaker, the former president has said he would not be interested in taking the job. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said in a tweet tonight that former President Donald Trump is the only speaker candidate she’s “currently supporting.” “We can make him Speaker and then elect him President! Earlier today, Rep. Troy E. Nehls, R-Texas, said he plans to nominate Trump for speaker. Technically, you only need the support of half of the elected members who vote for a candidate by name to succeed. What this means is a Speaker could be elected with fewer than half of the total members if some of them do not show up to vote or they abstain (by calling "present", rather than the name of a candidate).
Furthermore, even if the rules were changed, Trump would still have to face a vote that could quite plausibly not land in his favor. "Getting Trump elected speaker would be a tougher task—every Democrat would vote no, and it only requires five non-MAGA GOPs to follow suit," Morgan said. "Changing the indictment rule risks charges of hypocrisy towards the Republican Party," Landman said. Kevin McCarthy's ousting as speaker of the House on Tuesday led to questions over the possibility of Donald Trump being able to, in theory, take over the role. McCarthy's removal was instigated by pro-Trump Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz.
She has, in very little time, undermined the influence of her party’s entire right flank, driving less unhinged Republicans — most notably the House speaker, Mike Johnson — to brush back her and her ilk like the poo-flinging chaos monkeys they are. She is highly critical of Johnson, her grievances outlined in a five-page letter sent to colleagues this week, and in particular opposes helping Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion, and warned Johnson not to bring an aid package for Ukraine to a vote. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell received a single vote in both speaker elections in 2015.
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone. Trump also told Fox News Digital that he has been asked if he would "take it for a short period of time," and said he "will do it if necessary." "The House of Representatives shall chuse their speaker and other officers," the Constitution reads. The House has never been led by a non-member in its 234 years of existence, according to the Congressional Research Service, and experts say a non-member speaker is still unlikely.
No comments:
Post a Comment