Former President Donald Trump has revealed that he has been approached by Republican members of Congress to assume the role of speaker of the House temporarily, in a bid to unify the party amid a leadership vacuum.
This development comes on the heels of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) removal as speaker of the House just days ago.
“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” President Trump told Fox News. ”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.”
President Trump went on to say that he was not seeking the position for personal reasons but was willing to step in if it became necessary to restore stability within the Republican Party.
“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,” he said.
In a historic first, Mr. McCarthy was ousted from his position as speaker following a controversial motion known as a “motion to vacate” brought forth by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Oct. 3. Eight Republicans joined forces with all 208 Democrats in the chamber in the vote. Mr. Gaetz accused Mr. McCarthy of failing to uphold promises he had made to secure the speaker’s gavel when he assumed the role in January.
The motion to vacate was a rare and unexpected move within the Republican Party, which has been grappling with internal divisions and leadership disputes in recent months. Mr. McCarthy’s ouster sent shockwaves through the GOP, prompting calls for unity and a swift resolution to the leadership vacuum.
President Trump did not specify who had asked him, although a number of GOP lawmakers have publicly stated their preference for him as speaker.
Trump Would ‘Do It For the Party’
Since Mr. McCarthy’s ouster, both House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), have announced bids to run for speaker. Both men are long-serving conservatives who enjoy wide support in Congress.President Trump, who stressed that his focus is on his presidential campaign, said that if Republicans cannot come to a consensus, he would take the speakership for a short “30, 60, or 90-day period.”
“I would only do it for the party,” he added.
He said that he plans to visit Washington, DC, on Tuesday to speak with House Republicans as they consider the next speaker. He has not disclosed his preferred candidate for the role.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote on the social media platform X on Thursday that multiple members of Congress have told him they'd be “willing to support and offer nomination speeches for Donald J. Trump to be Speaker of the House.”
“Next week is going to be HUGE,” he wrote.
President Trump leads the 2024 Republican primary with strong support.
“63% of potential Republican primary voters support Donald Trump for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination, up from 58% in our survey released Monday ahead of the latest primary debate,” Morning Consult said in its survey released on Sept. 29.
The survey, conducted on Sept. 28 with 1,183 potential GOP primary voters, followed the second debate, which President Trump skipped in favor of delivering a speech to auto workers in Michigan.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley each lost 2 percentage points, now at 9 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Former Vice President Mike Pence dropped one point to 5 percent, while Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) remained at 2 percent after the debate.
“This data reinforces our view that Trump is in the driver’s seat of the Republican primary, and that Trump-less debates aren’t having much of an impact on the other candidates’ national support, and may in fact be helping the former president,” the survey concludes.
