Former President Donald Trump weighed in on his potential nomination for House speaker on Wednesday morning after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was voted out of the leadership position Tuesday evening.
“A lot of people have been calling me about speaker. All I can say is we’ll do whatever’s best for the country and the Republican Party. We have some great people. I just want to say we have some great, great people,” Trump told reporters in New York City.
“Would you take the job?” a reporter asked.
“A lot of people have asked me about it. You know, we’re leading – I’m sure you don’t read too much in the papers – but we’re leading by like 50 points for president. My focus is totally on that,” Trump said. “If I can help them during the process, I would do it. But we have some great people in the Republican Party that could do a great job as speaker.”
“I’ll do whatever it is to help, but my focus is being president,” Trump added.
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According to Axios, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) are the most likely candidates for House speaker in the wake of McCarthy’s historic removal.
Jordan formally threw his hat in the ring for the leadership position on Wednesday.
“We are at a critical crossroad in our nation’s history. Now is the time for our Republican conference to come together to keep our promises to Americans. The problems we face are challenging, but they are not insurmountable. We can focus on the changes that improve the country and unite us in offering real solutions,” Jordan wrote in a letter to his colleagues. “But no matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference. I respectfully ask for your support for Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
