The House Will Never Be Reuplican Again

Then-President Donald Trump appears in front of the U.Due south. Capitol in 2018. Some of his almost loyal supporters want him to return to power in Washington as speaker of the Firm if the Republican Political party wins back control next yr. Kevin Dietsch-Puddle/Getty Images hide caption

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So-President Donald Trump appears in front of the U.Due south. Capitol in 2018. Some of his most loyal supporters want him to return to power in Washington as speaker of the Firm if the Republican Party wins back control adjacent year.

Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images

If the Republicans have the House back in the 2022 midterm elections, they become to selection a speaker, and there's no requirement that the speaker has to be an elected representative.

"Tin you just imagine Nancy Pelosi having to hand that gavel to Donald J. Trump?" mused Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a vocal Trump loyalist, when he spoke to a crowd in Iowa this summer. "She didn't similar when that January. six guy was sitting in her chair in her function. She is sure non going to like seeing Donald Trump sitting in her chair."

Fifty-fifty if information technology sounds wild, Trump hasn't shut down the idea when he has been asked about information technology, and it is causing people in both major parties to stop and think, since he remains the single most of import Republican in the U.S. heading into next year'south elections. Congressional candidates eagerly seek his endorsement, and he'south actively exploring a run for president again in 2024.

Liz Harrington, a spokesperson for the former president, told NPR, "Nosotros know a lot of people are talking about it. A lot of people like the thought, but information technology'due south naught Mr. Trump is thinking most."

But Trump was noncommittal when he appeared on Existent America's Voice and host David Brody asked, "Is that something that you would seriously even consider?"

"Well, I've heard the talk and it'due south getting more and more, but information technology'south not something that I would have considered. Merely it is — certainly there'due south a lot of talk about information technology," the sometime president said.

And when asked about the idea by conservative talk testify host Wayne Allyn Root, Trump said, "Yous know, it's very interesting. That's then interesting."

Why would Trump really want to be speaker?

At first glance, existence speaker might have a lot of appeal.

"You know, he might think that this is going to be fun and he can kind of bulldoze Joe Biden crazy," said Republican strategist John Feehery, who was one time printing secretary to House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Trump could be the automatic foil to President Biden, commanding media attention 24/vii.

And so there'southward the appeal of State of the Union night, when he would get to stand up backside Biden, just like the current House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., stood backside Trump when he was president.

Business firm Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President Mike Pence appear backside President Donald Trump at the 2019 State of the Matrimony address, a perch Trump could savor behind President Biden if he somehow became speaker. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images hide explanation

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President Mike Pence appear behind President Donald Trump at the 2019 State of the Union address, a perch Trump could enjoy backside President Biden if he somehow became speaker.

Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images

Information technology's a mass media performance opportunity Trump would revel in. And as some of his supporters like Root take suggested, the speakership would be the perfect place for Trump to take political revenge from.

"You lot become the speaker of the House, lead the impeachment of Biden and start criminal investigations against Biden," Root told Trump. "You'll wipe them out for his last two years, and then you'll exist president. Do it!"

But the downsides could also be tremendous, even if Trump clearly wanted the job. Feehery thinks he couldn't really offload all the actual work of the speaker'south office to House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, or "my Kevin" equally Trump likes to telephone call him, who would ostensibly be his No. 2.

"Y'all can't avoid the responsibilities, no," Feehery said.

Even in theory, information technology'due south a potential midterm mobilizer

Unless and until Trump himself totally shuts down all this chatter, Trump as a potential speaker is condign a political event. Republicans in Brand America Great Once more districts dearest it, Republicans in swing districts don't and it's something that could aid Democrats mobilize their base.

"The idea for some that Donald Trump could get the speaker of the House is nearly as frightening as the thought of him becoming president once more," said Democratic strategist Karen Finney. "That will potentially advantage Democrats — again, merely the fear of it, merely the very thought of information technology."

Democrats would desire to force every Republican House candidate to reply the question: If Trump wants the chore, would they vote for him?

Proverb no would anger their MAGA base, but maxim aye would run a risk turning off swing voters who are exhausted with the former president. They'd exist stuck, which is appealing to Democrats.

"I retrieve it's totally off-white game," said Autonomous strategist Doug Thornell. "Look, similar Republicans do this to Democrats all the time. To our front-liners, they say, 'Well, would you vote for Nancy Pelosi?' For Republican members, aye, they should absolutely be on the record on ... would they vote for Trump as speaker."

For Republicans, according to i lobbyist, the thought of Trump as speaker is either a joke or a nightmare or a dream come true.

Feehery is among those who consider the concept a clear plus for Democrats.

"If we lose this election, it'll exist because the election's not most Joe Biden just near Donald Trump," he said. "I know that Trump believes that everything good happens when the people talk near him. But really, in this midterm ballot, for Republicans to be successful they need to kind of go along the focus on Joe Biden's failures, not Donald Trump's speakership."

Trump himself volition have a lot of control over how that plays out because he continues to sway what many Republicans are talking almost.

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Source: https://www.npr.org/2021/10/16/1045991224/just-the-idea-of-house-speaker-trump-could-be-a-dream-or-nightmare-for-each-part

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