Trump calls for Republicans to vote Kevin McCarthy as Speaker

Donald Trump came out with enthusiastic backing for Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House Speaker, calling on Republicans to vote for him after he failed to earn enough support in the new GOP majority on Tuesday.

The former president urged Republicans not turn their victory taking the House in the 2022 midterms into an ’embarrassing defeat.’

Some have floated the unlikely events that could result in another Democratic Speaker should Republican lawmakers in the lower chamber refuse to unite behind McCarthy – or any other single alternative. 

Trump wouldn’t say on Tuesday if he would support McCarthy for Speaker after the GOP Leader failed three times in a single day to earn the 218 votes needed to take the gavel from outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

It appears some conversations overnight changed Trump’s mind.

Former President Donald Trump came out in staunch support of Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid on Wednesday morning

Comes after McCarthy failed three times on Tuesday to garner the votes needed by his caucus to become the next House Speaker

‘Some really good conversations took place last night, and it’s now time for all of our GREAT Republican House Members to VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY,’ Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday morning. 

‘REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT,’ he continued in all caps. ‘IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE, YOU DESERVE IT.’

‘Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB – JUST WATCH!’

The endorsement for McCarthy came after Trump refused to say whether he would back McCarthy as Speaker for the 118th Congress, which kicked off with chaos on Tuesday. 

‘We’ll see what happens,’ Trump told NBC News during a brief phone conversation.

The ex-president, who announced a 2024 White House run in mid-November, also boasted that he was receiving a flurry of calls from lawmakers hoping to gain his endorsement.

‘I got everybody calling me wanting my support,’ Trump said. ‘But let’s see what happens and we’ll go – I got everybody calling, wanting my support. That’s all I can say. But we’ll see what happens. We’ll see how it all works out.’

Republicans’ first day in the House majority did not go as planned.

McCarthy lost three ballots for Speaker because of opposition from a growing group of conservative rebels – despite House Freedom Caucus Vice Chairman Jim Jordan coming out in strong support for the California Republican.

Instead, 20 House Republicans sunk McCarthy’s bid by throwing their support behind Representative Jordan, who has repeatedly said he does not want the gavel.

The House adjourned after the third vote and will reconvene at noon on Wednesday.

The failed bid Tuesday was the first time in 100 years that a Speaker was not chosen in the opening vote.

The first and second votes for speaker saw 19 Republicans vote against McCarthy for other candidates. The third round of votes saw McCarthy’s hopes of the top spot in the House shrink even further, with at least one more Republican voting against him.

When his name was called for a vote, Florida GOP Representative Byron Donalds dropped McCarthy in favor of joining the conservatives who backed Jordan.

He said afterwards that McCarthy simply does not have the votes to be Speaker.