Having managed to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House Tuesday, some members of the extreme MAGA wing of the House GOP caucus are suggesting that they are interested in organizing a “draft” effort to install former president Donald Trump to the post.
According to HuffPost, four House members have said they think drafting Trump is a spectacular idea.
GOP Reps. Troy Nehls (Texas), Greg Steube (Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor-Greene (Ga.) all tweeted in support of Trump becoming speaker, while Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio) told Fox News that if Trump wants to be speaker “that’s fine, too.”
Fox News host Sean Hannity claimed Trump “might be open” to the idea.
There is no rule saying the speaker must be a member of the House, although every speaker so far has been.
However, there is one major obstacle to such a harebrained idea: House rules addressing the issue of any GOP leader who has been indicted for a felony that carries a sentence of more than two years in prison, as Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) reminded his less-informed colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
I would direct your attention to rule 26(a) of the House Republican Conference rules for the 118th Congress. https://t.co/nHqwjpUR3z pic.twitter.com/AbI3IVjNg5
— Sean Casten (@SeanCasten) October 4, 2023
There’s also the matter of the workload on a House Speaker, as many were quick to note. After all, Donald Trump has never been known for actually working. His idea of “work” is a few rounds of golf followed by a pint or two of ice cream and a three-hour nap.
Is this something he can do remotely from the golf course in between court hearings now? https://t.co/QcJkwO1EHI
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) October 4, 2023
The problem is, the Speaker actually has to show up and be on the floor or available to w-o-r-k https://t.co/iOBJ29yBlK
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) October 4, 2023
Trump could never do this. It's a job. https://t.co/nDOzyGJnuN
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) October 4, 2023
Because that’s the kind of guy Trump is. A helper. Willing to serve to help the Party. https://t.co/4EQCLrytsr
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@SIfill_) October 4, 2023
It would be really funny if they put the most chaotic person on earth in charge of procedural issues. Republicans, as a party, would implode faster than ever. https://t.co/MfHhjAgzXC
— Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) October 4, 2023
