Former President Donald Trump reportedly considered throwing his hat in the ring for speaker of the House earlier this week — but it wasn’t the first time he’d thought about seeking the role.
According to ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, Trump considered making a bid for speaker back in January, when Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was facing round after awkward round of voting as he tried to get enough members of his own party to support him for the position. He eventually won, but was ousted by this week. )
During the winter’s speaker drama, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) nominated Trump twice for the role — and was the only person to actually vote for the former president either time.
At the time, people speculated that Gaetz was acting on his own, but in an excerpt from his upcoming book, “Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party,” Karl reveals that Trump did encourage the nomination.
Karl says that while various Republicans had previously suggested the idea of making Trump the speaker, Trump himself gave it little thought until he saw what a spectacle the whole contest had become.
“He saw the power of television,” a close Trump adviser told Karl. Karl says that while other Republicans had suggested the idea of making Trump the speaker, Trump himself gave it little thought until he saw what a spectacle it became.[He saw]”He saw the power of television,” a close adviser to Donald told Karl. Then Trump realized it was the most popular reality show in America. It would be ‘The Apprentice’ with him and a big-ass gavel.” He was not amused, nor gratified. Instead, Karl says, he was
embarrassed, especially since he could hear laughter in the House chamber when the unflattering vote total was announced.
Once Gaetz realized Trump was getting humiliated, he backed off and switched his vote to Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.).
However, Trump, who Karl said was “still stewing” at the vote result, decided he would’ve had more support if House Republicans realized he was legitimately interested in the gig.Someone got word to Gaetz, who nominated Trump a second time, with a fiery speech intended to rouse Republicans to Trump’s side.
But Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was the only person in the chamber to applaud Gaetz’s speech, and Gaetz was, once again, the only person to vote for Trump as speaker.
Karl said the former president wasn’t pleased at all, and told aides, “
Get me out of there!”
“Tired of Winning” is set to be published Nov. 14.