One Republican voted for Donald Trump to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives
After Republicans narrowly won control of the House of Representatives in the US midterms, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy expected to stroll back into the position – a crucial role without which no business can be completed in the House.
However, 20 hard-right Republican rebels have been blocking his election, some because they don’t like him, others because they want concessions to how the House is run and a few because they simpy don’t trust him to support their agenda.
At the time of writing, McCarthy has failed to secure the required 218 votes on 11 occasions, taking the House into an almost unprecedented fourth day of voting.
Here are a few comments dropped along the way.
Kevin McCarthy has now taken this many Ls in his misadventure to become House Speaker pic.twitter.com/V5HxYb5q4i
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 5, 2023
BREAKING: Kevin McCarthy loses the 9th ballot in a row.
— Nathalie Jacoby (@nathaliejacoby1) January 5, 2023
I am now calling on @ABC to offer Kevin McCarthy his Dancing With The Stars contract NOW, so he can leave this fight with dignity.
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) January 4, 2023
I wish they could vote a little more efficiently in the Speaker Vote so that Kevin McCarthy could lose TEN times per day.
— Sooz Kempner🐀 (@SoozUK) January 5, 2023
On Thursday, the controversial Floridian Trump faithful, Matt Gaetz, threw a curveball by nominating Donald Trump for the position – a surprisingly legal, if not legitimate, move under the House rules.
Gaetz votes for Trump again pic.twitter.com/cWcdrSp74s
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 5, 2023
This was the result.
BOOM! The results of the SEVENTH round:
Hakeem Jeffries – 212
Kevin McCarthy – 201
Byron Donalds – 19
Donald Trump: 1
Present – 1The only Republican to gain support for Speaker isn’t McCarthy. It’s Trump.
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) January 5, 2023
And this was the House reaction.
Trump's name receives a smattering of boos when his single vote for speaker is announced pic.twitter.com/iQs2BvsjHD
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 5, 2023
Presumably, Trump can explain this away due to Representatives voting twice, using mail-in ballots and changing the results via beams from a woke satellite.
The mockery came thick and fast.
1.
I was wondering who the first COMPLETE fucking idiot was going to be.
gaetz wins. https://t.co/o7kknMTrjZ
— Roger ZenAF (@RogerZenAF) January 5, 2023
2.
This is what two years of election denial without accountability gets you. pic.twitter.com/yNZxTZTDUR
— Davram (@davramdavram) January 5, 2023
3.
Matt Gaetz just voted for Donald Trump to replace Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. For what it’s worth, I vote for Trump to be sent to federal prison for violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Insurrection Act of 1807.
— Omar Rivero (@OmarRiverosays) January 5, 2023
4.
Orange-noser
— Antonio Sanchez (@AntonioDrumsX) January 5, 2023
5.
“Speaker Trump” is the stupidest thing I’ve seen since “President Trump”
— Jack Cocchiarella (@JDCocchiarella) January 5, 2023
6.
Some magat-moron tweeted “You could hear the liberal tears drippin' when @mattgaetz said "Donald John Trump" during the Speaker vote.”
That would be tears of laughing my fucking ass off. LOL
— ᗰᗩƳᖇᗩ ℙ (@LePapillonBlu2) January 5, 2023
7.
matt gaetz voted for donald trump during the seventh (!!!) ballot for speaker, in case there was any doubt what an unserious clown car this is
— shauna (@goldengateblond) January 5, 2023