Since this week’s historic dethroning of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, many far-right Republicans — including Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, have endorsed former President Donald Trump to succeed him.
Though the Speaker of the House has always been a sitting member of Congress, the Constitution does not require them to be one.
Greene, a McCarthy ally, says that Trump is the “only candidate” she is supporting. The former President is reportedly planning to visit Capitol Hill ahead of next week’s expected Speaker election.
Trump said Thursday that he would be open to serving as Speaker for a short period until the Conference can find a permanent replacement.
"I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress," Trump told Fox News. "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 only problem? Trump is ineligible to be nominated for Speaker of the House under Rule 26(a) of the GOP Conference bylaws, which states that “a member of the Republican Leadership shall step aside if indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment may be imposed.” Trump is facing dozens of felony charges spanning multiple state and federal cases, including here in Georgia.
This type of rule is not uncommon on Capitol Hill. Senate Democrats have a similar rule: Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey was forced to give up his committee chairmanship as he faces corruption charges.
But House Republicans could vote to change that rule. “We are in the majority, we can change the rules at any time,” one Trump ally said Thursday. “There are things that we can do to change the rules and it will not be a problem.”
The battle for the top job on Capitol Hill is currently between Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, with Republicans hoping to have a new Speaker installed by the end of next week. While Republican insiders continue to dismiss the idea of Trump becoming Speaker, they caution that race is so volatile that we could see other candidates emerge — and possibly win.
Trump endorsed Jordan late Thursday night.