After Kevin McCarthy got the boot from his seat as the speaker of the House, some Republicans have been making serious noise about former President Donald Trump stepping in to fill those rather large shoes. Fun fact for those not knee-deep in constitutional trivia: there’s no rule saying that the speaker has to be a House member. Yep, that means technically anyone could be nominated. But here’s where it gets spicy.
Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas seems super keen on this idea, announcing that he plans to put Trump’s name in the hat for the role. Nehls, with a touch of nostalgia, described Trump – who’s currently juggling a whopping 91 criminal indictment charges – as “the greatest president of my lifetime.” He even put a spin on the iconic MAGA tagline, suggesting Trump could “make the House great again.” Nehls isn’t alone in this line of thinking. Several other Republicans, including names you might remember for all the wrong reasons (looking at you, Marjorie Taylor Greene), have shown interest in Trump’s potential speakership. Even Sean Hannity from Fox News threw weight behind the idea.
Now, Trump being Trump, didn’t outright decline the suggestion. Instead, he teased the media by saying his heart is set on the 2024 presidential run, but he’d do anything to help the GOP. A little toot of his own horn, he mentioned he had received votes for the speaker role before.
But, and here’s where the drama amplifies, Democratic Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois has whipped out the GOP’s own rulebook to throw a curveball in their grand plans. Pointing to a rather intriguing rule adopted by the Republicans, Casten highlighted rule 26(a) which states that an individual indicted for a felony with a potential sentence of two or more years in prison cannot be part of their leadership team. Given Trump’s current entanglements with the law, this rule could bench him before he even steps onto the political playing field.
Now, the GOP could tweak their own rules to accommodate Trump, but that’s no easy feat. It’s clear there’s been a growing rift among Republicans, with some distancing themselves from the former president.
The speaker’s seat is hot, and as candidates battle it out, the division within the House suggests we’re in for a drawn-out, popcorn-worthy showdown. But, if this saga has taught us anything, it’s that politics remains as unpredictable as ever!
