Twenty days after Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker of the House—and with House Republicans once again starting from scratch to find a new leader—former President Donald Trump declared on Monday that there was just one candidate who could win enough support.
“There’s only one person that can do it all the way,” Trump said before a New Hampshire rally. “You know who that is? Jesus Christ. If Jesus came down and said, ‘I want to be Speaker,’ he would do it. Other than that, I haven’t seen anybody that can guarantee it.”
While the GOP presidential frontrunner and self-appointed Biblical expert is confident the son of God would unify the GOP caucus behind him, other Republicans don’t even think Christ could get enough votes at this point.
Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) told NBC News earlier this month that “someone said you could put Jesus Christ up for Speaker of the House and he still wouldn’t get 217” votes, adding that there “are people with issues that are deep and beyond anything that I can imagine.”
The ex-president’s quip comes days after Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who had increasingly lost GOP support due to his bullying tactics, was dumped as nominee for speaker.
With Jordan out of the picture, nine Republicans have now tossed their hat into the ring, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), whom Trump has privately said he doesn’t support.
Endorsed by McCarthy and seen as the early frontrunner for speaker, Emmer has been publicly assailed by MAGA allies of the ex-president. Ex-Trump strategist Steve Bannon, for instance, urged conservatives on Monday to continue their “pressure campaign” against the “cartel’s leadership apparatus” and “stop Emmer today."
The former president, however, seemed more receptive on Monday, claiming Emmer—who did not back Trump’s attempt to overthrow the 2020 election—is “my biggest fan now because he called me yesterday and told me I’m your biggest fan.”
“I’m sorta trying to stay out of that as much as possible, but they’ll get it straightened out,” Trump added. “I’ve always gotten along with him. I get along with all of them really.”
