Trump Announces He Would Accept Temporary Role As House Speaker
On Thursday, former President Donald Trump announced that he would be willing to temporarily serve as House Speaker until the Republican-controlled House can hold a vote for a permanent speaker.
Trump made the announcement in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” he wrote. “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.”
“They have asked me if I would take it for a short period of time for the party, until they come to a conclusion—I’m not doing it because I want to—I will do it if necessary, should they not be able to make their decision,” Trump added.
Trump noted that he “would only do it for the party” — adding that he would serve as House Speaker temporarily for a brief “30, 60, or 90-day period.”
The former president and GOP presidential primary frontrunner has reportedly been debating whether to visit Washington, D.C., next week to try to unify Republican lawmakers amid the battle to nominate a new House Speaker.
Earlier this week, Trump refused to weigh in on the motion to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the speakership — which was filed by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who demanded the speaker’s removal because he failed to keep his promises and instead made secret deals with Democrats.
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) took over as Speaker Pro Tempore after McCarthy’s removal. While McHenry was seen as a McCarthy ally, he did take a bold action that was celebrated by conservative voters after taking the position — evicting Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) from her private office.
Meanwhile, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Steve Scalise (R-LA) have both entered the race for House Speaker. Several Republican lawmakers, including Gaetz, have endorsed Jordan for the position — though Jordan told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he believed Trump would be a “great” option for House Speaker.
“He’d be great, but actually, I want Donald Trump to be the next President of the United States — but if he wants to be speaker, great,” Jordan said during the interview. “That’s where we need him, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue [the White House], but if he wants to be speaker, that’s fine, too.”
Reps. Troy Nehls (R-TX), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Greg Steube (R-FL) have all said that they would support a Trump speakership as well.
There is only one problem with a Trump speakership: the fact that Republican Party conference rules state that congressional GOP leaders must step down “if indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment may be imposed.”
