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Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared to become amused after Congressman Matt Gaetz, her GOP colleague, cast a vote for former President Donald Trump as speaker of the House.
Greene can be seen smiling, laughing and apparently mouthing the word "what" in a video showing the moment that Gaetz voted for Trump during the first of at least four votes for speaker on Thursday. Republican leader Kevin McCarthy failed to achieve the required majority on each vote. There have been a total of 10 ballots since the first session of the 118th Congress began on Tuesday, the most ballots for a House speaker since 1859.
The video, shared by Newsweek, shows Gaetz rising to say "Donald John Trump" when asked for his vote. Seated next to Gaetz is Greene, a close ally who has recently been quarreling with him and other hard-right Republicans over her support of McCarthy. She can be seen turning her head to the congressman and expressing her amused disbelief.
Longer clips of the moment appear to show Greene continuing to smile, laugh and speak to Gaetz after his vote, although their conversation is inaudible. Gaetz can also be seen briefly turning and smiling at Greene, while sharing fewer words than the congresswoman.
Gaetz was the lone member of Congress to vote for Trump as speaker on Thursday. However, the idea of the former president becoming House speaker has been repeatedly floated by Trump loyalists in the past. While every person elected as speaker so far has been a member of Congress, House rules hold no such requirement.
Trump may have also been amused by the idea of serving as speaker shortly after Gaetz cast his vote. On Truth Social, the former president shared a doctored photo of what appears to be a State of the Union address by President Joe Biden. Trump, seated behind Biden and next to Vice President Kamala Harris, is shown mockingly sticking out his tongue as the president delivers his speech.
Last year, a Gaetz spokesperson told Newsweek that the Florida Republican was planning on nominating Trump for speaker when the House switched back to GOP control.
"Congressman Gaetz plans to nominate President Trump to be Speaker and has no personal ambition for the position," the spokesperson said in February 2022. "Congressman Gaetz has never run for Speaker, unlike his friend and mentor Jim Jordan. It is unlikely that the desire to be Speaker is an itch that goes away with one scratch."
Gaetz's initial nomination for speaker this week was Jordan, who is not seeking the role and is backing McCarthy instead. Jordan and other Republican congressmen that have been nominated by dissenters, such as Representatives Byron Donalds and Kevin Hern, have all gained far more votes than Trump's single vote across the 10 ballots.
Trump's chances of actually holding the gavel are likely remote, especially given the thin majority Republicans have in the House following a worse-than-expected performance in the midterms and the former president's diminishing power among Republicans.
Newsweek has reached out to Greene's office for comment.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more