Embattled Rep. Kevin McCarthy continues to struggle to secure the coveted role of speaker of the House. Yesterday, for the first time in 100 years, first-round voting in the chamber did not determine who would serve as speaker.
Two weeks ago, McCarthy claimed he had the votes. However, resistance became evident over the Christmas weekend when several conservative leaders in the party encouraged GOP members not to support McCarthy.
After three rounds of voting on Tuesday — the speaker of the House position is still not determined.
McCarthy’s attempts to rally support have thus far proved ineffective. His letter assuring party members that he would be a “listener every bit as much as a Speaker, striving to build consensus from the bottom-up rather than commanding the agenda from the top-down” failed to sway members of the conservative arm of his party.
Many are looking to former President Donald Trump for his thoughts on the matter. Trump previously provided a weak endorsement of the Republican representative from California, saying, “Yeah, I support McCarthy…”
Trump added: “Look, I think this: Kevin has worked very hard. He is just — it’s been exhausting. If you think, he’s been all over. I think he deserves the shot. Hopefully, he’s going to be very strong and going to be very good, and he’s going to do what everybody wants.”
However, after not securing the speaker position in the first round of voting, Trump seemed to desire to put a little distance between him and McCarthy.
During an interview on Tuesday with NBC, Trump said: “I got everybody calling me wanting my support. That’s all I can say. But we’ll see what happens. We’ll see how it all works out.”
Trump and McCarthy reportedly communicated throughout the day on Tuesday. By late Tuesday evening, Trump was ready to reaffirm his support.
On Wednesday morning, Trump posted an endorsement for McCarthy on his Truth Social platform:
“Some really good conversations took place last night,” Trump wrote, “and it’s now time for all of our GREAT Republican House Members to VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY & WATCH CRAZY NANCY PELOSI FLY BACK HOME TO A VERY BROKEN CALIFORNIA, THE ONLY SPEAKER IN U.S. HISTORY TO HAVE LOST THE ‘HOUSE’ TWICE!”
Trump is calling on all Republicans to vote for McCarthy as the next Speaker of the House. He posted:
“REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT. IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE, YOU DESERVE IT,” the statement from Trump added. “Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB – JUST WATCH!”
The list of Republicans refusing to support McCarthy includes: Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Rep. Mike Cloud (R-TX), Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), and Rep. Keith Self (R-TX).
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