Donald Trump watched and waited as Kevin McCarthy struggled, and continues to struggle, to round up the needed votes to become Speaker of the House. When he was good and ready, he made the call that no doubt he thought would magically bring the saga to an end as his minions, the rebellious hard right-wingers who are flexing their muscles and keeping McCarthy from his long-desired goal, would bend to his will. His endorsement was going to be golden for the embattled McCarthy.
That proved to be a delusion. None of the 20 cared and no votes were changed.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Wednesday called Trump’s decision “sad” and added that Trump’s support for McCarthy “changes neither my view of McCarthy, nor Trump, nor my vote.”
Trump’s public support of McCarthy is the latest of his political moves to backfire; it has made the ‘Never Kevin’ GOP House members more entrenched in their position to elect anyone but McCarthy as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Gaetz and his wing of the Republican party have nominated Ohio Republican Representative Jim Jordan for the position, however Jordan (R-OH) is voting for McCarthy and is one of his biggest public supporters.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., another of the 20 Republican holdouts, said “Endorsements don’t matter to me.This is our fight here.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., another anti-McCarthy voter, was offended that Trump would call the recalcitrants on behalf of the beleaguered House GOP leader. “Let’s stop with the campaign smears and tactics to get people to turn against us — even having my favorite president call us and tell us we need to knock this off,” Boebert said on the House floor Wednesday. “I think it actually needs to be reversed; the president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, sir, you do not have the votes, and it’s time to withdraw.”
Shortly after Trump’s post, the Conservative Action Project, a group of activists and organizations with strong ties to Trump, rolled out a counterweight by calling on Republicans to reject McCarthy, and praising the rebel lawmakers.
The deadlock that continued after Trump’s endorsement speaks loudly about his diminished influence over the GOP. “Kevin McCarthy is finding out in real time that Trump’s endorsement is about as worthless as the former president’s NFT collection,” spokesman Drew Godinich said. “We can now add Kevin to the long list of MAGA Republicans Trump failed to get across the finish line.”
Even if McCarthy does prevail in the end, as he is bound to do given that there are no other candidates who are realistically viable, the emperor has now been seen to be naked.
