Former President Donald Trump has changed his plans to visit Capitol Hill and participate in discussions regarding the next speaker of the House among congressional Republicans. The 2024 GOP front-runner had initially expressed his intention to be present during the House Republican Conference as they considered potential candidates to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was recently ousted. However, a source familiar with the matter revealed that Trump will no longer be attending the discussions or the House GOP candidate forum scheduled for Tuesday evening.
Trump had previously endorsed Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio to serve as House speaker, who is in competition with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana for the role. In a surprising move, Trump indicated that he would be willing to take on the position temporarily in order to unify the Republican Party until a permanent replacement is decided upon.
The removal of McCarthy as speaker of the House came about after Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida introduced a motion to vacate, accusing McCarthy of breaking promises made during his bid for the speaker’s position earlier this year.
During a recent interview, Trump stated that he had been approached by several GOP lawmakers who requested him to act as a unifier. He emphasized that his decision to accept the speakership would be solely for the benefit of the party and not his personal aspirations as a presidential candidate. Trump clarified that he would only take on the role for a short period of 30, 60, or 90 days if Republicans failed to reach a consensus on a permanent replacement.
In January, when the House was deliberating on the speaker position following the Republican majority, Gaetz abstained from voting for McCarthy or Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida. Instead, Gaetz voted for Trump when his name was called during the seventh round of voting.
The competition for the House speaker role between Jordan and Scalise remains ongoing, with Trump’s potential involvement adding a new dynamic to the decision-making process.
Brooke Singman is a digital politics reporter for Fox News. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @BrookeSingman. Stay updated with the latest news from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews, and more political content by subscribing to our newsletter.
