After 15 stormy rounds of voting, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy was chosen as the new speaker of the House of Representatives. Former President Donald Trump is taking credit for this outcome.
Trump said in his Truth Social platform that after urging House Republicans to support McCarthy, he had “done our country a great service.”
Trump wrote, “Believe it or not, the Fake News Media was extremely generous in their reporting that I significantly assisted Kevin McCarthy in obtaining the office of Speaker of the House. “I did our Country (sic) a great favour, thank you,”
Following McCarthy’s defeat in the 14th round of voting, Trump reportedly called anti-McCarthy dissenters on Friday night. He received 215 votes at the time, falling only one vote short of becoming speaker.
According to the New York Times, the former president called Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a steadfast opponent of McCarthy who had previously hampered his prospects of becoming a speaker.
According to two unnamed persons with knowledge of the situation, Trump’s call may have encouraged Gaetz to proceed with a second round of voting.
According to CNN, Trump also contacted Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, a fellow Republican congressman who is opposed to McCarthy’s campaign.
Additionally, a widely disseminated image revealed that Trump had contact with Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. A second anti-McCarthy holdout, Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale, was spotted asking the Georgia congresswoman for the phone so he could call the former president.
According to The Hill, McCarthy thanked Trump for helping him win the speakership and claimed that the previous president had supported him “from the beginning.”
“Nobody, in my opinion, should question his influence. He was by my side from the start, “McCarthy said to the press.
Six of the holdouts cast “present” votes early on Saturday morning, lowering the bar required to obtain a majority and helping McCarthy secure the speakership.
Despite McCarthy giving down to the demands of the GOP’s Freedom Caucus, the current election for House speaker was the longest since the 1800s.
But when the members of Congress put the significant amendments to the House Rules to a vote on Monday, McCarthy’s capacity to lead would be put to the test right away.
About McCarthy’s agreement with the far-right Republicans, several GOP legislators have vowed not to support the Rules package.
A clause enabling any House member to initiate a motion to resign as a speaker is one of the proposed modifications to the House Rules. Despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and China’s military actions towards Taiwan, it also contained a clause aimed at reducing federal spending, particularly on defence.