Trump Endorses Jim Jordan to Succeed McCarthy as House Speaker

A little after midnight on Friday, Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social site that Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio had his "Complete & Total Endorsement" to become the next speaker of the House. He called Jordan a "STAR" long before the congressman arrived in Washington from Ohio's 4th District, and predicted he would be a "GREAT Speaker." The former president, now the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, was weighing in on a leadership fight that opened when Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the job.

The post came hours after Texas Rep. Troy Nehls announced on X, late Thursday, that he had spoken with Trump and that the former president was backing Jordan. Nehls added that he believed Congress should listen to the leader of the party. He told The Associated Press that Trump had made up his mind after thinking it over, and that Trump believes Jordan is right for the job. Two Republicans familiar with Trump's thinking, speaking anonymously, said he had been telling people in recent days that he preferred Jordan, though it was unclear whether he meant to announce it before Nehls did.

Jordan chairs the House Judiciary Committee and is one of Trump's most prominent defenders on Capitol Hill. He has led investigations into the prosecutors who have charged Trump, and he was among the Republicans who worked with Trump to overturn the 2020 defeat ahead of Jan. 6, 2021. His main rival for the gavel is Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the majority leader, who has also worked closely with Trump over the years. Both men are trying to reach the 218 votes needed to win, which means assembling support from both the far-right and moderate wings of the conference. It is not clear whether Trump's endorsement will push Scalise out.

The endorsement followed a stretch in which Trump had kept the speculation about himself alive. He told Fox News Digital he would head to Washington on Tuesday to meet with Republicans, and three people familiar with the discussions confirmed to the AP that a Capitol visit was being talked about. It would have been his first since leaving office and since his supporters attacked the building on Jan. 6. He has since been indicted in both Washington and Georgia over his efforts to overturn the election he lost to President Joe Biden. One source said he would likely have appeared at a closed-door candidate forum Republicans plan for Tuesday evening, ahead of a vote that could come as soon as Wednesday, and would have been there to talk with lawmakers rather than pitch himself. Nehls said the trip now seemed unlikely.

Trump also told Fox News Digital on Thursday that he would accept a short-term stint as speaker, for 30 to 90 days, if another candidate could not win the votes, saying people in Congress had asked him to serve as a unifier until a longer-term choice emerged. In another post, he said he would do whatever was necessary to help in the short term. Nehls, who was among the first to float Trump for the job, said he had been contacted by multiple members willing to support him or give nomination speeches. He said that if no declared candidate reaches 218, he would turn to Trump again: "Our conference is divided. Our country is broken. I don't know who can get to 218." Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who did not vote to remove McCarthy, said on X that she believed Trump would take the job.

The idea is unusual. Nothing requires a speaker to be an elected House member, but all 55 speakers the House has chosen have been members. Lawmakers have occasionally cast votes for outsiders, usually as a protest. The post involves running the Capitol and managing hundreds of lawmakers, and demands attention to the arcane details of legislating, which Trump showed little interest in even as president. He is also still campaigning in early primary states and dealing with four criminal indictments and several civil cases.

Trump's role in McCarthy's fall is part of the backdrop. He helped McCarthy win the speakership in January after 15 rounds of voting, but later urged Republicans to impeach Biden and reject deals McCarthy negotiated. Last month he encouraged the right flank to back a government shutdown absent deep spending cuts. McCarthy instead moved to keep the government open for 45 days without those cuts, and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a longtime Trump ally, cited that choice in moving to depose him.

What to watch now is whether Republicans settle on a candidate before a floor vote that could happen next week, whether Scalise stays in against a Trump-backed Jordan, and whether Trump follows through on his offer of a temporary speakership.