Rep. Mike Emmer (R-MN) was the leading candidate heading into the caucus vote for the GOP nominee for Speaker.
Emmer and Trump, however, were not exactly allies, even though Emmer’s camp says that is not the case.
Emmer called Trump over the weekend, hoping to get his support for the nomination, but it did not go as planned.
Torpedoes
Emmer, the current House Majority Whip, is supposedly well-liked in the caucus, and up until about 5:00 p.m. EDT, it seemed like he had a real shot to win the speakership in the House.
He had placed a call with Trump in the hopes of getting Trump to get behind him, and Trump was only too happy to tell the media that Emmer came groveling for his support…
Reporter: Will you endorse Emmer? He hasn’t always been your biggest fan…
Trump: He’s my biggest fan now because he called me yesterday and told me he’s my biggest fan so… I’m trying to stay out of that as much as possible pic.twitter.com/F8zwX8fVSk
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 23, 2023
Trump did not stay out of the race, however.
After Emmer won the nomination after five votes, Trump made it clear that Emmer was not his guy.
On Truth Social, Trump posted, "I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors.
"RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them. He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA—MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Trump warned his supporters in Congress, "Voting for a Globalist RINO like Tom Emmer would be a tragic mistake!"
That was all that MAGA members of Congress needed to hear, and about 20 members made it clear they would never support Emmer in a vote, which meant he had no path to 217. Emmer then withdrew his nomination.
Trump wanted to teach Emmer a lesson for not endorsing him, stating, "He is totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters.
"I believe he has now learned his lesson, because he is saying that he is Pro-Trump all the way, but who can ever be sure? Has he only changed because that’s what it takes to win?"
So, we are back to square one again trying to find a Speaker that all sides can agree upon.
For one brief minute, I had hoped that everyone would stop posturing, but that is not going to happen. With this latest move, both sides are now going to dig in and I would honestly be surprised if they are ever able to come to an agreement on someone.
This is a complete and utter embarrassment for the GOP and it will cost us in the 2024 election. I just hope everyone is taking inventory of the people who are creating this mess and holding them all accountable in the 2024 primary elections.
