New York/ October 06, 2023 (SPN) | Former President Donald Trump has officially endorsed Republican Representative Jim Jordan for House Speaker role. Trump made this endorsement on his Truth Social platform, declaring his “complete and total endorsement” of Jordan, who is 59 years old.
Jim Jordan has long been a staunch congressional ally of Donald Trump. In January 2021, just before leaving office and shortly after the January 6 Capitol insurrection, Trump bestowed upon Jordan the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the nation, during a private ceremony.
In his endorsement, Trump praised Jordan not only for his political career but also for his achievements in college wrestling and his educational qualifications.
Both Jim Jordan, who currently chairs the influential House Judiciary Committee, and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, announced their bids for the position of House speaker on Wednesday.
A vote to decide the new House speaker is anticipated to take place next week. The House has been in recess since the removal of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and Representative Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is currently serving as speaker pro tempore.
In a historic move, the House voted on Tuesday, with a margin of 216 to 210, to remove McCarthy from his position. Eight far-right Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the removal, marking the first instance in American history where a House speaker was ousted in a no-confidence vote.
This vote was initiated by Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, a vocal critic of McCarthy. Gaetz forced the vote by introducing a motion to vacate the office of speaker. Gaetz’s decision was driven by his belief that McCarthy had betrayed conservatives by assisting in the passage of a bipartisan 45-day stopgap bill to avert a looming government shutdown.
Interestingly, before endorsing Jim Jordan for House Speaker, some far-right Republicans have suggested that Donald Trump should be nominated for the role of House Speaker.
According to congressional rules, the House speaker does not have to be a sitting member of Congress. However, throughout its 234-year history, the House has never had a non-member assume the role of speaker.
