On Monday, President Trump spoke with several of the nine candidates for Speaker of the House as they prepare for the House GOP’s internal election to nominate a third candidate for the role.
Trump on the GOP candidates for Speaker: They all called asking for support pic.twitter.com/fnO9qKhhzH
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) October 23, 2023
Some of the candidates Trump spoke to include Kevin Hern, Pete Sessions, Byron Donalds, Mike Johnson, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.
It has not been confirmed if he spoke with Gary Palmer, Jack Bergman, Austin Scott, and Dan Meuser.
While he was speaking to reporters in New Hampshire, President Trump did not appear ready to make an endorsement in the race.
From The Hill:
“We’re looking at a lot of people. And you know, I’m sort of trying to stay out of that as much as possible,” Trump said.
Trump’s conversation with Emmer, though, has caught more attention after allies of the former president criticized the member of House GOP leadership.
Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn, speaking on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s “War Room” show Friday, knocked Emmer for not yet endorsing Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Emmer has said he will not make an endorsement in the race.
“If somebody is so out of step with where the Republican electorate is, where the MAGA movement is, how can they even be in the conversation?” Epshteyn said. “We need a MAGA speaker.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) addressed the Trump-Emmer dynamic on his podcast on Monday — and was the first to reveal Emmer and Trump spoke over the weekend.
“I am told that President Trump and Tom Emmer spoke over the weekend and that that conversation went well,” Gaetz said.
Responding to a question from a reporter in New Hampshire who said Emmer had not always been Trump’s biggest fan, Trump said: “I think he’s my biggest fan now because he called me yesterday, and he told me, ‘I’m your biggest fan,’ so I don’t know about that.”
“I’ve always gotten along with him,” Trump added of Emmer. “I get along with all of them, really. A lot of good people, they have a lot of great people.”
Emmer responded to the comments on X, formerly Twitter.
“Thank you, Mr. President,” Emmer wrote. “If my colleagues elect me Speaker of the House, I look forward to continuing our strong working relationship.”
Thank you, Mr. President.
If my colleagues elect me Speaker of the House, I look forward to continuing our strong working relationship.
— Tom Emmer (@GOPMajorityWhip) October 23, 2023
Even though an endorsement from President Trump will improve the chances of any of the candidates running for Speaker, there is still the problem of the RINOs in the House.
Jim Jordan was endorsed by Trump and even got an endorsement from former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, he couldn’t get enough votes to be elected as the House Speaker.
As the 45th president jokingly said during his presser, Jesus Christ might be the only person who could win all the votes to become the Speaker of the House.
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