Can Donald Trump Become Speaker of the House? What We Know

Some Republican lawmakers are already stating that they will be voting for former President Donald Trump to become House Speaker following the historic ousting of Kevin McCarthy from the role.

On Tuesday night, the House voted 216-210 to support the motion to vacate that had been put forward by Florida rep. Matt Gaetz, with eight Republicans joining 208 Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy.

The decision, the first time in U.S. history that the House has voted to remove its own speaker, now means the members of Congress must vote for the California Republican's replacement. With no clear GOP candidate in line for the role, further infighting and chaos within the party is expected as it tries to decide who to nominate.

In January, McCarthy needed 15 rounds of voting to get elected as a number of hard-line and MAGA Republicans, including Gaetz, refused to support him.

McCarthy confirmed that he will not be putting his name forward for the House Speaker position again.

Rep. Patrick McHenry will serve as an interim Speaker until a replacement for McCarthy is chosen, although the North Carolina congressman could still be elected for the position permanently.

Who Is Voting For Donald Trump As Next House Speaker?

At least three GOP House members—Texas Rep. Troy Nehls, Florida's Greg Steube and Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene—have already indicated that they will support the former president in voting to select a new House Speaker.

"This week, when the U.S. House of Representatives reconvenes, my first order of business will be to nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives," Nehls said in a statement. "President Trump, the greatest President of my lifetime, has a proven record of putting America First and will make the House great again."

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Steube wrote "@realDonaldTrump for Speaker."

Greene added that Trump is the "only candidate for Speaker I am currently supporting" in a lengthy X post praising the former president.

"We can make him Speaker and then elect him President," Greene added.

Tennessee rep. Andy Ogles included Trump's name in a list of potential candidates for House Speaker, but did not say whether he would support the former president. Ohio's Jim Jordan—seen as a potential replacement for McCarthy—told Fox News' Sean Hannity that Trump would be "great" as House Speaker, but did not suggest he would vote for him.

Does the Speaker of the House Need To Be a Member of Congress?

Historically, the House of Representatives has always voted for a member of the lower chamber for the role of House Speaker, but there is nothing in the Constitution that states that the position must be filled by a member of Congress. In January, Gaetz voted for Trump as House Speaker during one of the rounds of voting.

While theoretically possible, it is unlikely that Trump will receive enough support overall to be elected House Speaker. Trump, who is running for president in 2024, has also previously stated that he is not interested in the position.

"No, it's not something I want to do. I want to look at what's happening, and then we're going to be doing something else. No, it's not something I would be interested in," Trump said in an interview in March 2022.

Trump's office has been contacted for comment via email.

When Will The New House Speaker Be Elected?

It is unclear exactly when a new election for House Speaker will begin, as this will be the first time in U.S. history that such a vote will not be taking place at the start of a new Congress term.

Both parties will need to state when they are ready to enter into the process of electing a new Speaker. House rules do not indicate a time frame for when a vote needs to take place.

The Democrats look set to once again vote for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who ran for Speaker in January against McCarthy, although he would require several Republican votes to be elected.