Trump says he’d accept House speaker role – and be third in line for presidency
Former President Donald Trump said he would be open to accepting the House speakership – which would put him third in line for the presidency.
The House speaker role was left vacant on Tuesday after a forced vote that saw Democrats joining a handful of hard-line conservatives in ousting Rep Kevin McCarthy from leadership.
‘I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,’ Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
‘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.’
The speaker of the House of Representatives is third in line in the succession for the White House, after the vice president.
Trump added that ‘they have asked me if I would take it for a short period of time for the party, until they come to a conclusion’.
He did not say who within the Republican Party asked him.
‘I’m not doing it because I want to,’ Trump said. ‘I will do it if necessary, should they not be able to make their decision.’
Trump specified that he would take the gavel for a ’30, 60 or 90-day period’ and ‘would only do it for the party’ since his focus is on his 2024 presidential campaign.
He had already mused about taking on the congressional job.
On Wednesday, Trump shared a meme of himself sitting in the speaker’s chair and holding the gavel while donning his Make America Great Again campaign hat.
Two Republicans have announced bids for the speakership – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.
The vote that led to McCarthy’s ouster was initiated by Republican Rep Matt Gaetz. In January when McCarthy was elected speaker – after 15 rounds of voting – Gaetz floated ‘Donald John Trump’ for the role.
Trump said he plans to travel to Washington, DC, and speak to House Republican Conference members on Capitol Hill as they work on choosing a new speaker.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.