What would you do if you woke up to House Speaker Donald Trump this week? Don’t laugh, because here’s how it could become a nightmarish reality.
Politics :
In case you haven’t noticed, the Republican Party and, more specifically, Republicans in the US House of Representatives are in complete disarray. Last week, the personal pettiness of GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz prompted members to kick former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to the curb, leaving the speaker’s chair vacant and up for grabs. Only months ago, it took 15 rounds of votes for McCarthy to reach the 218 vote threshold to become speaker and 3rd in line to the presidency. Now, with 2 lesser Republicans running for the seat and no clear frontrunner who could lead the misfits currently masquerading as the once-Grand Ol’ Party, the next House Speaker could end up being just about anyone — including, yes, Speaker Donald Trump!
Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who currently serves as the House majority leader, wants the job. However, after surviving a mass shooting in 2017 that left him hospitalized for 6 weeks, he is currently undergoing cancer treatments and may not be healthy enough to sustain the vigors of the speakership. Additionally, Scalise is a Kevin McCarthy lieutenant. If the 8 rogue/MAGA Republicans wanted McCarthy out, why would they want Scalise in?
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio also wants the job. He’s a Donald Trump lieutenant and was even endorsed by ‘The Donald’ last week to take over the post. However, the fact he’s a MAGA fanatic means he is exactly the type of “conservative” angry House Republicans don’t want as their new leader. Additionally, Jordan is rumored to have been one of the co-architects of the Capitol Hill insurrection of 2021. Some Republican House members secretly hold a grudge for his alleged involvement.
The problem for both men is that their candidacies will split the GOP vote down the middle. Or, in other words, neither appears capable of ever reaching the required 218 votes to become speaker. As if that wasn’t enough, with Democrats in control of both the Senate and the White House, the ultra-right agenda that the 8 rogue House members fired Kevin McCarthy over will remain dead in the water regardless of who becomes speaker.
Now, here’s where the fun begins. Or, if you thought several days and 15 rounds of voting to make McCarthy the speaker was long, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
When Congress returns to session this week and attempts to elect a new speaker, Democrats will (as expected) continuously vote as a block to elect Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York. About half of the GOP will vote for Scalise and the rest will vote for Jordan.
Yep, a deadlock.
Then, after weeks of voting and dozens of rounds of exhaustive balloting, don’t be surprised to see a Republican savior ride in on a white horse to save the day: House Speaker Donald Trump.
According to ABC News, Trump is willing to come into Congress and become House Speaker for approximately 90 days to save Republicans from themselves and right the ship (the speaker doesn’t have to be a sitting member of Congress). More importantly, he also sees an opportunity for him to be back on national television almost daily, to say all the political things he wants to say (that the courts have limited in his myriad trials), and to effectively be the center of attention again for all the world to see. Oh, and he’s been plotting this since January.
“He saw the power of television,” ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl said in his upcoming book Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party, “[He saw] how galvanizing it was, how mesmerizing it was — everybody was watching it, right? That’s when Trump realizes it’s the biggest reality show in America. He could sit up there like The Celebrity Apprentice. It’d be ‘The Apprentice’ with him with a big-ass gavel.”
Speaker Trump wouldn’t be interested in the job long-term. He considers the post beneath him and he’s also running for president again (not to mention that he could land in jail at some point in 2024). However, if the job could make him the center of attention in a deadlocked House of Representatives and propel him into the presidency, he’d be all for it.
Looking back to the last House Speaker election, this was the tally:
- 212 votes for Hakeem Jeffries
- 201 votes for Kevin McCarthy
- 19 votes for Byron Donalds
- 1 vote for Donald Trump
Yes, the lone vote for Trump was pathetic and embarrassing for him (this vote was the reason Trump pretended he wasn’t interested in the job). However, looking at how close Democrat Hakeem Jeffries came to being elected speaker in a Republican House, the GOP would instantly rally behind Speaker Donald Trump or Mickey Mouse if it prevented Democrats from taking control.
So, folks, keep your eyes open this week — and don’t blink. America could see House Speaker Donald Trump sooner than we think!
OK WASSUP! discusses Politics:
Is America ready for Speaker Donald Trump?
USA Today:
Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., one of the House Republicans who voted last week to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., vowed that former President Donald Trump will not become the leader of the lower chamber.
Asked on ABC’s “This Week” about Republicans who have called for Trump to fill the role, Buck said “that’s not going to happen.”
“It shouldn’t happen, and we have a lot of talent inside the House,” he said. “We’ll settle this inside the House Republican conference, and we will elect someone who’ll have the unity and the backing of the full conference.”
The question came after Trump said last week that he would consider accepting the speakership temporarily if Republicans deadlock on selecting a new speaker.