There are other complications…
It’s the ultimate “What if…” scenario, at least from a political entertainment perspective: Donald Trump as Speaker of the House.
Impossible? Or just unlikely?
It’s a scenario some lawmakers in Congress and conservative voices in the media are advocating after the shocking ouster of Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker on Tuesday. One congressman already has announced his intention to nominate Trump for the post.
Remember, any U.S. citizen can be House speaker.
Perhaps dashing some hopes without tightly closing the door on Wednesday, Trump said he is focused on another job, not the speakership, while standing outside the New York City courtroom where he is on trial in a civil fraud case. “If I can help them during the process, I would do it,” he said. “But we have some great people in the Republican Party who would do a great job as speaker,” adding that his “sole focus is being president.”
There are other complications, too — one of which seems insurmountable. But more on that later.
The question seen across website homepages, newspaper front pages and cable news broadcasts since McCarthy was shown the door is this: Who takes over — Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.)? Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)? Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) or Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)? Someone else? And who’s to say they won’t suffer the same fate as McCarthy if GOP rogues like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) disagree with any compromise made with Democrats, who control the Senate and the White House.
Why, you may be asking, would Trump even want the job? He was president, after all, and he’s running for that post again. He has multiple court cases happening or pending against him.
Yet as Speaker Trump conceivably could still run for president and still appear in court. And think of all the free advertising for the Trump brand: Billions upon billions of dollars in free airtime without spending one dime.
Then there’s the entertainment aspect. For a visual, fast forward to February 2024:
President Biden enters the House of Representatives chamber for his State of the Union address and shakes some hands before taking his place at the podium. Seated over his left shoulder, next to Vice President Kamala Harris, is his 2024 opponent, Speaker Trump.
