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Donald Trump's hopes of being represented in the lower chamber of Congress with a MAGA Speaker could be quashed by the bid of Rep. Tom Emmer.
Emmer, a Minnesota congressman, is one of nine Republicans who have put themselves forward to become the party's new candidate for House Speaker three weeks after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role in a historic move.
The nine candidates threw their hats into the ring after Ohio's Jim Jordan pulled out of the race following three ballots after it became clear he would not receive the support necessary from his own party to get the 217 full House votes needed in the House of Representatives, essentially putting the GOP back to square one in pursuit of a new Speaker.
While there is no clear indication that any of the other nine hopefuls will get the near-unanimous House Republican support needed to be elected Speaker, there are signs that Emmer is the current frontrunner, which may cause issues for the former president.
Emmer, the Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, is the highest-ranking Republican to come forward to contest in the Speaker race and one of only two candidates who did not vote against certifying the 2020 election results in favor of President Joe Biden.
Trump, who endorsed Jordan for House Speaker, is said to not want Emmer in the influential position which is third in line for the presidency behind the vice president. Trump is alleged to be against Emmer becoming House Speaker for not being as loyal to the MAGA cause, and was dismayed that the congressman failed to sufficiently defend him amid his four criminal indictments, reported Politico.
A spokesperson for Emmer's office told Newsweek there is tension no between him and the former president, noting how the congressman has frequently praised Trump, and that Trump had endorsed Emmer in 2022. Newsweek has reached out to Trump's team via email for comment.
Some of the former president's closest allies, however, are lining up to attack the Minnesota congressman's bid.
Steve Bannon, a former Trump White House adviser, described Emmer as a "Trump hater" in his War Room podcast. Top Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn also told Bannon's show that Emmer had not endorsed the former president in his 2024 campaign yet.
"We need a MAGA Speaker. That's what it comes down to. Because if you look at the numbers, if you look at the energy, if you look at the heat, this is the Trump party, this is the MAGA party. It is no longer the old-school khaki establishment Republican Party," Epshteyn said.
Other senior GOP leaders, including McCarthy or the previous Republican nominee for Speaker, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, have also not endorsed Trump in his latest White House bid.
It remains to be seen if Emmer will be able to get the GOP to rally around his Speaker bid and end the current chaos which is leaving the House unable to govern.
On Friday, sports betting website DraftKings Network listed Emmer as the favorite to become the next House Speaker after Jordan lost his third and final vote.
Emmer is not seen to be as divisive a candidate as Jordan and can be buoyed up in the race by the endorsement of McCarthy as well as his success in helping the GOP win back a majority in the House during his time as Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Emmer could also use the backing he receives from his colleagues in his position as House Majority Whip to secure support for his Speaker bid.
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About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more