Trump is inserting himself into the messy race to become the next House speaker. Will it matter?
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is again testing the power of his endorsement.
With an early morning social media post on Friday, Trump inserted himself into the chaotic race to replace Kevin McCarthy as House speaker by backing Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan for the post. The move was the latest example of Trump attempting to flex his influence within a Republican Party he has already fundamentally reshaped in the eight years since his first White House bid.
“I think he does well. I hope he does well,” Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, said of Jordan in a Friday interview with Real America’s Voice. “He’s got competition, as you understand. And they’re friendly with me, too. Very nice people and good people. We’ll see what happens.”
With Trump’s firm grip on the GOP base, his endorsement can effectively clear the field in many congressional primaries.
But the speaker’s race is more complex, an intraparty fight that will play out in secret at points and in a tense environment with many Republicans furious about McCarthy’s ouster.
Jordan is facing at least one other candidate — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise — who is also on good terms with Trump. It’s unclear whether anyone has enough votes to win the gavel and if Jordan were to lose, another Trump ally could emerge.
Taken together, the dynamics mean that Trump’s backing of Jordan may do little to sway the results. And that may not ultimately matter much.
Regardless of who becomes the next speaker, Trump has undeniable sway over House Republicans.
It was his supporters — led by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz — who orchestrated McCarthy’s ouster and who have driven much of the House GOP’s agenda. They have been unable or unwilling to pull themselves from his grip and now find themselves heading toward another presidential election with him at the top of the ticket, even as many in the party worry about his electability in November and his potential impact on down-ballot races.
But other factors are at play in the complicated deliberations. Speaker’s elections are contests that can turn on personal relationships and deals between lawmakers that fall outside ideological lines.
It also remains unclear how much political capital Trump intends to use whipping votes on Jordan’s behalf. While Trump was poised to support Jordan, he was angry that Texas Rep. Troy Nehls broke the news before he was ready, according to two Republicans familiar with his thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Trump spokesman did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Trump’s 11th-hour interventions helped McCarthy win the speakership after 15 rounds of voting back in January, but the holdouts in that case were Trump allies. This time most hardline conservatives were already lining up behind Jordan.
Instead, Jordan has been courting Republican moderates, trying to convince them that they will be heard if he is elected, despite his reputation as a hard-liner. Trump’s endorsement ties Jordan even closer to the former president, potentially making it more difficult for moderate members to support him.
For his part, Jordan said the endorsement would aid his bid for the gavel.
“He’s the leader of our party, and I think he’s going to be the next president,” Jordan told reporters Friday at the Capitol.
