Trump Makes His Endorsement for Speaker of the House

UPDATE Oct 6, 2023 12:00 AM CDT

Former President Trump officially endorsed Jim Jordan as the next House speaker early Friday. Jordan—who himself had said he'd rather Trump be president than speaker of the House—is running against Steve Scalise for the role after Kevin McCarthy's historic ouster. "Congressman Jim Jordan has been a STAR long before making his very successful journey to Washington, DC, representing Ohio's 4th Congressional District," Trump wrote on his Truth Social site, per the AP. "He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!"

Oct 4, 2023 10:50 AM CDT

The list of those officially seeking the gavel formerly held by Kevin McCarthy now has one name on it. Rep. Jim Jordan on Wednesday announced he'll run to be the next speaker of the House. In a letter seeking his GOP colleagues' support, Jordan described being "at a critical crossroad in our nation's history. Now is the time for our Republican conference to come together to keep our promises to Americans. The problems we face are challenging, but they are not insurmountable. We can focus on the changes that improve the country and unite us in offering real solutions. But no matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference."

Politico predicts the move will "prompt praise from House conservatives," but that it will also likely pit him against Majority Leader Steve Scalise, "who is also considering a speakership bid and has worked to court conservatives." Jordan is chair of the House Judiciary Committee, which has had Jordan heavily involved in the impeachment inquiry into President Biden. CNN reports speaker candidates are expected to speak Tuesday, meaning a House-wide speaker vote could come as soon as Wednesday. (More speaker of the House stories.)