House

Greene boasts of call with Trump during Speaker election

by Natalie Prieb - 01/07/23 12:35 PM ET

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) spoke with former President Trump over the phone during a tense moment in the election for Speaker on Friday night.

As the contested vote played out, a picture began to circulate showing Greene holding up her cellphone to Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), one of the last remaining detractors of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The caller ID shown in the photo read “DT,” sparking rumors that Trump was actively attempting to sway votes toward McCarthy. Rosendale appeared to brush off the call.

Greene confirmed after McCarthy’s victory speech that it was indeed Trump on the line.

“Absolutely,” she told The Hill. “My favorite president.”

When asked what Trump said, the Georgia representative responded, “I think I’m gonna keep that between us.”

Greene posted the photo on her Twitter account shortly after midnight, including a caption that said, “It was the perfect phone call.”

It was the perfect phone call. pic.twitter.com/aRpf5pefoU
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 7, 2023

Trump also placed a potentially critical call during the Speaker election to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), whose “present” vote marked McCarthy’s defeat on the 14th ballot, according to The New York Times. Two people who spoke anonymously confirmed the call between Trump and Gaetz to the Times. CNN reported that Trump made a call to Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) as well.

Gaetz and Biggs both ultimately voted “present” on the 15th ballot along with Rosendale and three other McCarthy holdouts, allowing the California congressman to reach the majority threshold required to secure the gavel.

McCarthy praised Trump’s influence while speaking with reporters after his victory, saying, “I don’t think anybody should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning.”

Mike Lillis contributed.