Trump could attend Speaker candidate forum Tuesday
FOX News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan eyeing the open speakership position, saying it could take weeks to fill.
Rep. Jim Jordan is gaining broad support from top Republicans to serve as speaker of the House, with members telling Fox News Digital that he can “unite” moderates and conservatives across the GOP conference.
Jordan, R-Ohio, announced his bid for the speakership on Wednesday, after lawmakers voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the post for the first time in the history of the House of Representatives.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., also announced his bid for House speaker.
Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Jordan, who serves as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and is co-leading the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden, has garnered support across the Republican conference — including from top House committee chairmen.
“Jordan’s efforts have shown that he can unite moderates and conservatives across the conference to get the 218 votes needed to become speaker,” a congressional source told Fox News Digital.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, a moderate Republican, told Fox News Digital that he would proudly support Jordan for the role of House speaker.
Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, left, and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP, Al Drago/Bloomberg)
“I am proud to support Jim Jordan as our next speaker of the House because of his leadership skills, professionalism, and the fact that he will be able to unite our conference,” Turner said.
House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., also threw his support behind Jordan, along with other lawmakers including Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.; Darrell Issa, R-Calif.; Mike Carey, R-Ohio; Mary Miller, R-Ill.; Warren Davidson, R-Ohio; Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J.; Ralph Norman, R-S.C.; Alex Mooney, R-W.Va.; Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.; Byron Donalds, R-Fla.; Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis.; Troy Balderson, R-Ohio; Harriet Hagemen, R-Wyo.; and Max Miller, R-Ohio.
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“We need a conservative fighter to stand up strong to the Biden White House and Democrats and I can’t think of anyone better than Jim Jordan,” Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio. (AP)
Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., also threw his support behind Jordan, calling him a “proven conservative fighter” who “can right the ship and return the House to a path toward conservative principles like promoting limited government, fighting reckless spending, and holding the Biden administration accountable.”
And on the other side of the aisle, even Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said that Democrats are “ready to work with any Republican speaker as long as they don’t break their word, that they want to help the American people,” and said that would include working with Jordan, if he was elected speaker of the House.
As for Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., he told Fox News Digital that both Jordan and Scalise “would represent a monumental step forward for the conference.”
“I’d be honored to vote for either of these men on the floor,” Gaetz said. “In conference, I’ll make a decision based on spending and whether they are willing to liberate us on these continuing resolutions.”
House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
House Republicans are hosting a candidate forum on Tuesday, and former President Donald Trump has said he plans to attend.
Trump, the current frontrunner of the 2024 Republican presidential primary, has not yet commented on who he would support for speaker. However, a source familiar told Fox News Digital that the former president is very close to Jordan and has always had a great relationship with him. The source said Trump also has a great relationship with Scalise.
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In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Thursday afternoon, Trump said that if Republicans cannot rally enough support for Jordan or Scalise, he would accept the speakership himself for a “short period.”
“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “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.”
Former President Donald Trump speaks to a crowd during a campaign rally in Summerville, South Carolina, on Sept. 25, 2023. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
“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,” Trump said.
Trump did not specify who had asked him, although a number of GOP lawmakers have said he is their preference for speaker.
Trump stressed that if Republicans cannot come to a consensus, he would take the speakership for a short “30, 60, or 90-day period.”
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“I would only do it for the party,” he said, stressing that his focus is on his presidential campaign.
Back in January, as the House considered who should become the speaker after Republicans took the majority of the chamber, Gaetz opted not to vote for McCarthy or Donalds, who was floated as an option, and voted instead for Trump.
When Gaetz’s name was called during the seventh round of voting, he responded: “Donald John Trump.”