On the third day of the 118th Congress, during the seventh Speaker vote, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) voted for former President Donald Trump for the role of Speaker.
Gaetz, a staunch opponent of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA.), broke from the other 19 conservatives opposing McCarthy when he voted for Trump; the 19 continued voting for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).
Following his vote, Gaetz tweeted an illustration of the former President brandishing the Speaker’s gavel.
Despite Gaetz’s dissenting from the group of conservatives who’ve been opposing McCarthy, there wasn’t any movement among the 20, as the same conservative lawmakers continued to split from the rest of the Republican caucus.
Going into Thursday (January 5), some of the 20 lawmakers had made progress negotiating with McCarthy overnight, although Gaetz only dug in his heels on his anti-McCarthy crusade.
Gaetz’s decision to vote for Trump came after Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), also a member of the group of the 20 conservatives, suggested Trump tell McCarthy to give up his bid for Speaker.
Boebert also mentioned the possibility she’d nominate Trump for Speaker, a suggestion that earned her harsh response from Fox News hose Sean Hannity.
On Wednesday, Hannity asked Boebert if the selection of Speaker alternatives was “a game show,” pointing to how the group of 20 nomination history which included Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Gaetz and Boebert, both loyal supporters of Trump, haven’t heeded the former President’s call to rally behind McCarthy. Trump has also described the fervent opposition as a “dangerous game,” telling Fox News Digital that if the group were unhappy with McCarthy, they could “do something about it at a later date.”
