Former President Donald Trump told allies in private conversations on Friday that he does not support House Majority Whip Tom Emmer for speaker, according to Politico.
The report comes amid an endorsement of Emmer by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for the position and as the Minnesota Republican officially entered the race on Saturday.
Given the GOP’s slim majority in the House, any obstruction from Trump could prove disastrous for shoring up the necessary support.
Trump allies are reportedly circulating opposition research on Emmer, and senior Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn told the "War Room" podcast on Friday that Emmer had not yet endorsed Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
"If somebody is so out of step with where the Republican electorate is, where the MAGA movement is, how can they even be in the conversation?" Epshteyn said. "We need a MAGA speaker. That's what it comes down to.
"Because if you look at the numbers, if you look at the energy, if you look at the heat, this is the Trump party, this is the MAGA party. It is no longer the old-school, khaki, establishment Republican Party."
Jumping on the Emmer-bashing bandwagon, "War Room" host and former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon claimed that Emmer is a "Trump hater."
Two people familiar with the private conversations on Friday told Politico that Trump indicated he was alarmed by the possibility of an Emmer speakership, saying he believed the Minnesota congressman was not a supporter.
Politico's sources said Trump has complained that Emmer has not defended him vigorously enough against the indictments he's facing and said he mentioned Emmer's criticism of him in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.
Trump also pointed to reports that Emmer, as chair of the House Republican campaign organization, advised GOP candidates to avoid using Trump's name.
Casey Nelson, communications director for Emmer's whip office, told Politico there's no bad blood between the House lawmaker and the former president.
"As NRCC [National Republican Congressional Committee] chair, Whip Emmer worked hand in hand with President Trump to help House Republicans fire Nancy Pelosi and retake the majority," Nelson said. "If he becomes speaker, Whip Emmer looks forward to continuing that productive relationship."
Trump had endorsed House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, for the speakership; Jordan's bid was extinguished on Friday, however, after House Republicans dropped their support of him during a secret ballot vote. The Ohio Republican had failed to garner the necessary votes to gain the gavel in three prior rounds of voting.
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., was the first to launch a bid for the speakership, following the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the post more than two weeks ago. Like Jordan, Scalise failed to round up the requisite support to win the lower chamber's top job.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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