Greene says Trump the only candidate for Speaker she is supporting

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that she will only back one person to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in the top House GOP role: former President Trump.

“The only candidate for Speaker I am currently supporting is President Donald J. Trump,” Greene wrote on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. “He has a proven 4 year record as President of the United States of America.”

In a lengthy post, she rattled off a series of promises that Trump will keep if he is elected to the Speakership, including ending the war in Ukraine, securing the border and ending the “politically weaponized government.” 

“He received a record number of Republican votes of any Republican Presidential candidate! We can make him Speaker and then elect him President!” Greene continued. “He will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) led the effort to oust McCarthy from his leadership role Tuesday afternoon after months of threatening to do so. The House voted to take away his Speaker’s gavel in a 216-210 vote, with all Democrats and eight Republicans joining forces to remove him.

While Greene did not vote in favor of ousting McCarthy, she is now joining a handful of Republicans who are calling on the former president, who is also the GOP front-runner in the 2024 race for the White House, to be the next Speaker. McCarthy also said Tuesday that he will not run for the position again.

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) announced late Tuesday that he will file paperwork to nominate Trump for the role. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) also said he would back Trump for Speaker.

Despite a handful of Republicans now saying they want to see Trump as Speaker, he may not be eligible to take the gavel under current GOP conference rules.

According to Rule 26 of the House Republican Conference Rules, a “member of the Republican Leadership shall step aside if indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment may be imposed.” Trump is currently facing dozens of felony counts across numerous state and federal cases.

However, House Republicans could also vote to change the rule.

The Speaker of the House is not required to be a sitting member of Congress, but there is no precedent for someone holding the role without being a lawmaker.

Before Republicans won back the House in the 2022 midterms, Trump said he would not be interested in taking the top job. 

“No, I think that it’s not something I wanted. A lot of people bring it up. It’s brought up all the time,” he said last March. “No, it’s not something I want to do. I want to look at what’s happening, and then we’re going to be doing something else. No, it’s not something I would be interested in.”

–Updated at 10:37 a.m.