There are times when American politics transcends the absurd and enters the realm of memes. Washington, D.C., has tried the former for quite some time now, but we could very well be on the cusp of seeing the Swamp turn into a living meme.
On Tuesday, a small contingent of eight rogue, conservative Republicans opted to take a rather large risk: vote to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. This rebellion’s unprecedent success presented Republicans with an unprecedented question: What happens now? (RELATED: House Chaos? It’s All Media Hype.)
Currently, they’re taking the most intuitive course of action by appointing an interim speaker pro tempore and deciding to begin voting for McCarthy’s successor next week.
McCarthy has decided that he’s done herding cats while being mercilessly maligned by both the left and the right and has announced that he’s not running for the position. By all appearances, Gaetz and Co. didn’t have a plan for what was supposed to happen after McCarthy was voted out.
Tuesday night, NBC News received the kind of news tip every news organization covets: A Trump adviser told it via email that Republican members of the House had reached out to former President Donald Trump to ask him to serve as interim speaker, at least until they’ve figured out what to do in the long run.
And, even better, Trump said it’s not off the table. “A lot of people have been calling me about speaker. All I can say is we’ll do whatever is best for the country and the Republican Party,” he told reporters on Wednesday while standing outside the Manhattan courthouse hearing his trial on fraudulent business practices. “My total focus is on being president,” he added. (READ MORE: The Matt Gaetz Eight)
While it may seem odd, it turns out that the Constitution doesn’t actually explicitly say that the Speaker of the House has to be a member of Congress — so, technically, anyone could fill the position, although Trump would certainly be the first outsider to do so.
There’s just one problem. Back in January, Republicans voted to pass the House Republican Conference Rules, and Rule 26 of that document reads that any “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.” Elsewhere in the rules, it’s clarified that “leadership” includes the Speaker’s position.
Trump is currently facing some 91 felony counts in four criminal cases across three states and Washington, D.C. — not to mention potentially 700 years in prison.
But some House Republicans have indicated they might be willing to try to solve that problem. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) announced on X that the only candidate she’s currently supporting is Trump. She pointed out that he has a proven track record as a politician of action and that being the Speaker doesn’t necessarily preclude him from running for president: “We can make him Speaker and then elect him President! He will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
The only candidate for Speaker I am currently supporting is President Donald J. Trump.
He will end the war in Ukraine.
He will secure the border.
He will end the politically weaponized government.
He will make America energy independent again.
He will pass my bill to stop…
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) October 4, 2023
Now, someone just needs to take the plunge and nominate the former president — and Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) has already promised to do so when the House reconvenes.
Kevin McCarthy will NOT be running again as Speaker.
I nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the House.
— Congressman Troy E. Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) October 3, 2023
Even Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who Wednesday morning became the first Republican to announce his run for the position, is willing to admit that a Trump speakership isn’t off the table. “He’d be great,” Jordan said. Gaetz — who clearly has opinions about who shouldn’t be speaker — admitted, “Frankly, Speaker Trump has a great ring to it.” (READ MORE: Trump Skips Second GOP Debate, Soars in the Polls)
The case for a Trump speakership certainly isn’t watertight — he will be spending a lot of time in courthouses in the foreseeable future, and he is trying to run a presidential campaign. And, of course, it took just eight Republicans to oust McCarthy, so electing Trump would mean that every Republican in the House would need to be on board.
Trump is absolutely capable of herding cats on Capitol Hill, and he’s totally impervious to attacks, regardless of their direction. Whether you’re on the left, right, or somewhere in the middle, you have to admit that Speaker Trump would be a lot of fun.
