GOP Congressman Votes for Donald Trump for House Speaker
During the 118th Congress’ seventh round of voting to determine the next Speaker of the House of Representatives one lawmaker to cast his vote for Donald J. Trump.
The largely symbolic vote came from Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who has been a prominent figure among the roughly 20 lawmakers to detract from supporting House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy for the role.
Gaetz has repeatedly floated the idea of Trump becoming speaker, pledging to nominate him since 2021.
However, Gaetz has admitted to Fox News on Thursday that McCarthy’s win is potentially unavoidable, but argued he would be a speaker with a “straight jacket.”
“There are only two outcomes here: Either Kevin McCarthy withdraws from the speaker’s race, or he has to wake up every morning and put on the world’s best constructive straight jacket before doing the prayer and the pledge at the beginning of House session,” Gaetz said, adding that several of his colleagues were working to on “how to construct that straight jacket.”
“Kevin McCarthy has offered everything he can think to offer and everything we can think to ask for due to his current state of desperation, and I can’t tell you whether or not that will be enough to get him there. I doubt it will,” he said.
Kevin McCarthy recieved 201 votes, Byron Donalds recieved 19 votes, Hakeem Jeffries recieved 212 votes for Speaker during the seventh round of voting.
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