Troy Nehls, a Republican from Texas, has expressed his intention to nominate former President Donald Trump as the next Speaker of the US House of Representatives. This announcement follows the removal of Kevin McCarthy from the position by the Republican party.
Nehls stated, “President Trump, the greatest president of my lifetime, has a proven record of putting America first and will make the House great again.” It’s worth noting that although the Speaker does not necessarily have to be a member of Congress, no one has ever taken on the role without being a seated member.
Previously, Trump’s name had been suggested for the position, especially during the challenging vote Kevin McCarthy faced in January. Greg Steube, a congressman from Florida, also expressed support for Trump as Speaker.
Despite facing 91 criminal charges and various civil threats, Trump remains a prominent figure in the Republican presidential primary. There’s ongoing speculation about what could potentially deter Trump from the presidential race. A recent book by Michael Lewis mentioned a proposal by cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried to offer Trump $5 billion to withdraw.
Sean Hannity, a Fox News host and Trump ally, mentioned that some House Republicans are considering drafting Trump for the speaker role. However, Trump has previously stated he isn’t interested in the position. Jim Jordan from Ohio, another potential candidate for Speaker, expressed his preference for Trump to run for president but said he’d support Trump as Speaker if that’s what he wanted.
Several observers have expressed skepticism about Trump’s potential nomination. David Frum, a former aide to George W. Bush, highlighted House ethics rules as a potential obstacle. Sean Casten, a Democratic congressman, pointed to Republican leadership rules that might disqualify Trump due to his indictments. Jake Sherman, a founder of Punchbowl News, simply stated, “This will not happen. We can all move on from this.”
To add fuel to the fire, the NY Post reported on Wednesday that Donald Trump shared a photo of himself on social media, sitting in the Speaker’s chair while holding a gavel. However, the article highlighted a little-known House GOP rule that states that anyone with a felony indictment cannot serve in the role. According to the Republican Conference Rules of the 118th Congress, a Republican Leadership member must step down if indicted for a felony punishable by a two-year prison sentence.
Although the rules could be changed to allow Trump to participate, he doesn’t seem to be interested in the job. It’s possible that he’s just attending to provide guidance during the process. In a social media post on Thursday, he stated this clearly.
“I am running for President, have a 62 Point lead over Republicans, and am up on Crooked Joe Biden, despite the Democrat Party’s massive Law-fare, Weaponization, and Election Interference efforts, by 4 to 11 Points, but will do whatever is necessary to help with the Speaker of the House selection process, short term, until the final selection of a GREAT REPUBLICAN SPEAKER is made – A Speaker who will help a new, but highly experienced President, ME, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!“