Following the ousting of GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House on Tuesday, there are discussions among several Republicans about the possibility of former President Donald Trump becoming the next Speaker.
In a historic move, McCarthy became the first Speaker of the House to be removed from office in the history of the United States Congress, with a vote of 216-210. This effort was spearheaded by Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, with support from a number of Republicans and Democrats.
Shortly after his removal, McCarthy declared that he would not seek re-election for the speakership. In response, Texas GOP Rep. Troy Nehls took to X, previously known as Twitter, to propose Donald Trump as a nominee for the position of Speaker of the House.
“Kevin McCarthy will NOT be running again as Speaker. I nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the House,” Nehls wrote on the social media platform.
Kevin McCarthy will NOT be running again as Speaker.
I nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the House.
— Congressman Troy E. Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) October 3, 2023
.@realDonaldTrump for Speaker 🇺🇸
— Greg Steube (@gregsteube) October 3, 2023
The House Speaker doesn’t necessarily have to be a current member of the House. In previous rounds of voting in January, Rep. Matt Gaetz actively advocated for and voted in favor of electing the 45th President, Donald Trump, as the Speaker.
This week, Trump has been in New York City for a civil trial related to his business dealings and is currently leading in the Republican primary for the presidency.
Many House Republicans are uncertain about who will step forward as a candidate to replace Kevin McCarthy as Speaker. Consequently, the House will be in recess until next week. The Republican conference has scheduled a candidate forum for next Tuesday, followed by the speakership race shortly thereafter.
During an appearance on Fox’s “The Ingraham Angle” on Tuesday, Gaetz emphasized that his successful effort to remove McCarthy from the speakership was not personal. He stated that he harbored “no personal animosity” towards the former Speaker. Gaetz had previously clashed with McCarthy in January during McCarthy’s journey to the speakership, and on Tuesday, he criticized McCarthy for collaborating with Democrats to prevent a government shutdown, among other issues.
