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Former President Donald Trump commented on Kevin McCarthy’s ailing House speaker bid.
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He said the two days of inconclusive voting had made the process “BIGGER & MORE IMPORTANT.”
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Trump’s endorsement of McCarthy hasn’t swayed the 20 Republicans who continue to oppose him.
Former President Donald Trump hailed as a Republican victory the two days of voting in which the party failed to elect a House speaker, with the assumption that the third day will bring a result.
“I actually think that a big Republican VICTORY today, after going through numerous Roll Calls that failed to produce a Speaker of the House, has made the position & process of getting to be Speaker BIGGER & MORE IMPORTANT than if it were done in the more traditional way,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump compared the situation to his own political journey, saying he won the presidency in 2016, falsely insinuating he won in 2020, and then claiming he will win again in 2024. “It will be BIGGER than the traditional way!”
The House adjourned on Wednesday after a second day of voting in which Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the 218 votes required to be elected House speaker.
It’s the first time since 1923 that a House speaker election hasn’t been resolved on the first day.
His candidacy is opposed by 20 Republicans from the hard right of the party, who say they don’t trust McCarthy and are seeking to extract further concessions in return for backing him.
Many of the holdouts are strong Trump supporters, but find themselves in the rare position of being on the opposite side of an issue to him, with the former president having endorsed McCarthy’s candidacy.
McCarthy is just one of a series of high-profile Trump endorsees who have struggled to win elections in recent months, with a number of candidates Trump backed in the midterm elections also falling short.
The situation, some analysts suggest, highlights Trump’s waning powers even over usually loyal GOP lawmakers.
A third day of voting to elect a speaker is set to take place on Thursday, with lawmakers in the House unable to be sworn in until the issue is resolved.
Read the original article on Business Insider
