Former President Donald Trump has said that he would be willing to take on the role of speaker of the House for a period of time if the GOP is unable to select another candidate to fill the slot, Fox News Digital has reported.
“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” Trump told the outlet. “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.”
“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 noted, according to the outlet. Trump conveyed that if the GOP fails to arrive at a consensus, he would step in to the speakership role for a brief “30-, 60-, or 90-day period.”
“I would only do it for the party,” he noted, according to the outlet.
Earlier this week, after eight GOP lawmakers voted with Democrats to oust Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California from the speakership, McCarthy announced that he will not seek the position again.
GOP Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana have both thrown their hats into the ring to serve as the next speaker.
Trump is currently seeking the GOP presidential nomination, and according to polls, he is trouncing the rest of the Republican field.
“I’ve been contacted by multiple Members of Congress willing to support and offer nomination speeches for Donald J. Trump to be Speaker of the House. Next week is going to be HUGE,” tweeted GOP Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas, who has previously suggested Trump for the role.
“I nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the House,” Nehls tweeted earlier this week.
But not all Republicans would support the idea of a Trump speakership. GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has already thrown his support behind Jordan, has rejected the idea of Trump as speaker.
“Trump was vehemently opposed to even having a recorded vote in the House on the $2+ trillion CARES Act. He supported Pelosi’s attempt to pass it by ‘unanimous consent,’ without a quorum present. This disqualifies him from being Speaker,” Massie tweeted.
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