Donald Trump nominated for House speaker by Matt Gaetz
Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram provides updates on the House Republicans' battle to elect a speaker as McCarthy is expected to lose the seventh vote.
Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., caused a stir on social media after voting for former President Donald Trump to become Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday.
A group of about 20 Republicans, including Gaetz, Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and others, have voted against McCarthy and labeled him a member of "The Swamp" as the vote for speaker has gone through 11 rounds over three days.
Gaetz voted for Trump during the seventh and eighth rounds of voting, then officially nominated him during the eleventh round.
Anthony Sabatani, chairman of the Lake County Republican Party and a former Florida House Rep., tweeted, "BREAKING: MATT GAETZ JUST VOTED TRUMP FOR SPEAKER—LEEEETTTSSSGOOOOOO!!!!!!!"
Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) talks to fellow members-elect during the second day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The Columbia Bugle, a popular conservative Twitter account, tweeted a picture of then-President Trump hugging an American flag and smiling widely with the hashtag #SpeakerTrump.
Paul A. Szypula, a former U.S. Senate candidate and conservative commentator, tweeted, "Rep. Gaetz just voted for Donald John Trump to be Speaker of the House. Trump wears a US flag pin on his jacket. McCarthy wears a Ukraine flag. That says it all."
"Imagine this scenario. Donald Trump elected Speaker of the House on January 6. I know it’s not gonna happen. It’s a dream but it would be fantastic," Carmine Sabia, a conservative writer, tweeted.
"Who wants President Trump elected Speaker so he can conduct the J6 investigations and expose Nancy Pelosi on the national stage?" Rogan O'Handley, who runs the DC_Draino newsletter asked.
Founder of Revolver News and former Trump speechwriter, Darren J. Beattie, said, "Donald Trump as Speaker is the only meaningful outcome to all of this."
HOUSE SPEAKER VOTE: HERE ARE THE 21 REPUBLICANS WHO AREN'T VOTING FOR KEVIN MCCARTHY
WELLINGTON, OHIO, USA - JUNE 26: Former President of United States Donald Trump speaks to crowd gathered at the Lorain County Fair Grounds in Wellington, Ohio, United States on June 26, 2021. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
"The 7th House Speaker vote is occurring now. McCarthy still doesn’t have the votes. Matt Gaetz voted for President Trump," Scott Presler, a conservative activist, tweeted.
"Republicans won the popular vote in 2022. Still, Americans largely distrust the gov’t. With the passing of the reckless $1.7 trillion omnibus bill, that gap widened. There isn’t a consensus on the House Speaker b/c members want to ensure this doesn’t happen again," he added.
"I get how you feel: What’s the point of a Republican House if only means a tap on the breaks? If unity means concessions & surrender, the voters aren’t buying. We don’t want empty platitudes. Instead, we want a disciplined majority to hold the gov’t accountable for its actions," he continued Thursday evening.
Other conservatives have also been critical of McCarthy. Michael Johns, a co-founder of the National Tea Party movement and former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush, tweeted "From '17 to '19, @kevinomccarthy was Majority Leader when we controlled the House, Senate, and White House. We had no higher national priority then than ensuring the border wall was funded. But he and @PRyan never delivered. Result: Our nation is now under a vast invasion."
FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2019, file photo President Donald Trump, right, accompanied by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., left, arrive for Game 5 of the World Series baseball game between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Some conservatives from other wings of the party were less enthusiastic about the Trump nomination, however. T. Becket Adams, program director of the Young America Foundation's National Journalism Center, tweeted, "good job putting him in the running in another race he will lose."
"Gaetz has no plan for actually accomplishing a non-McCarthy speaker. He’s just doing random crap for attention. He’s now repeatedly voted to make Speaker people whose judgment tells them to make McCarthy Speaker," Sunny McSunnyface, a prominent conservative Twitter account, posted.
Trump announced his candidacy for president in November, and has endorsed Kevin McCarthy for Speaker.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.