An unexpected name has been added to the names of potential challengers to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House Speaker: former President Donald Trump.
According to remarks Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) made on Sunday (November 13) during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” far-right House lawmakers could decide to vote for the former President as House Speaker.
The House Speaker doesn’t need to be a member of the House, and according to Raskin, pro-Trump members of the House have “repeatedly” floated Trump as an option to hold the Speaker’s gavel.
Raskin claims that these suggestions have become a “real problem” for McCarthy, noting there are “pro-Trumpists” within the GOP caucus who don’t believe McCarthy is “really with Trump” and “want to get rid” of the House Minority Leader because of that.
Following the midterms, McCarthy has been trying to get the votes needed to secure his position as House Speaker. However, his ambitions could be impeded by the House Freedom Caucus, who aren’t committing to backing McCarthy for Speaker.
Democrats have waded into the debate, telling McCarthy to make a deal with them for a chance at the gavel rather than bargain with the House Freedom Caucus and get ousted after three months.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) tweeted on Thursday (November 10) that McCarthy should “cut a deal with the Dems.”
However, the back-and-forth about whether the Freedom Caucus will support McCarthy’s House Speaker bid may be for naught as the former President has already endorsed the House Minority Leader for the role.
