Lauren Boebert Hints at Nominating Donald Trump for Speaker

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Teased by Fox News TV host Sean Hannity during a heated debate on his show on Wednesday night, Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert—who is among the 20 House Republicans who voted against Kevin McCarthy becoming House leader—suggested she might nominate Donald Trump as House Speaker on Thursday.

Most of the group of 20 are members of the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus, and Boebert is among the defectors that led McCarthy to lose six consecutive votes in Congress between Tuesday and Wednesday, a historic defeat.

Boebert has been among the most vocal in her opposition to McCarthy, even going against Trump's calls on Wednesday for House Republicans to "take the victory" and "vote for Kevin."

Lauren Boebert, Donald Trump
In this composite photo, Lauren Boebert (left) and Donald Trump (right). The Colorado representative has twice suggested nominating Trump as House Speaker. Getty Images

In a speech that shocked Congress on Wednesday, Boebert called for her "favorite president" to "tell [Representative] Kevin McCarthy that 'sir, you do not have the votes and it's time to withdraw.'"

When Boebert appeared on Hannity's show on Wednesday night, the TV host challenged her about her speech, asking her if she should be the one "to pack it in" as she's part of a minority of defectors.

Boebert didn't reply immediately, saying instead: "There are certainly names that have been floated around, and hey, maybe I should nominate President Donald J. Trump tomorrow."

Hannity interrupted her, saying: "Is this a game show?," asking if the congresswoman meant to nominate one candidate one day and another one the next.

It wasn't the first time that Boebert talked about supporting Trump as new House leader.

In an article published in mid-December 2022, Politico reported that, when asked about her choice for House Speaker, the Colorado congresswoman "said she wants Trump to be speaker."

Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, who has long harbored similar views as Boebert on a variety of issues, was also reported by Politico as saying he would have nominated Trump as House leader should the Republican Party obtain a majority in Congress.

Trump could technically be nominated as House leader, as the position does not require for the candidate to be a member of the House of Representatives.

But the former president has already given his endorsement to McCarthy on Wednesday, calling for House Republicans to "take the victory" and "vote for Kevin."

As the House is set to reconvene at noon on Thursday, Trump wrote on his official profile on Truth Social: "I actually think that a big Republican VICTORY today, after going through numerous Roll Calls that failed to produce a Speaker of the House, has made the position & process of getting to be Speaker BIGGER & MORE IMPORTANT than if it were done in the more traditional way."

Newsweek contacted Boebert's and Trump's teams for comment.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more