Speaker hopeful Tom Emmer, R-Minn., called former President Donald Trump over the weekend, seeking to redress any concerns between himself and the former president, as well as the two's relationship to the party as a whole.
The phone call, which has been confirmed by two individuals familiar with the exchange, including a Trump ally, came to light after Trump himself detailed the conversation to reporters on Monday afternoon.
This development coincides with the former president's efforts to gauge Republicans' support for Tom Emmer, who is one of nine lawmakers currently competing for the speaker gavel.
"I spoke to Mr. Emmer," Trump informed Politico. "I spoke to a lot of congressmen that called me up — they all called asking for support. And, of course, I have to hold it for a while. I have a lot of friends that are looking at it right now."
"I think he's my biggest fan now because he called me yesterday, and he told me I'm your biggest fan," Trump added. "I've sort of tried to stay out of that as much as possible. … I've always gotten along with him."
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., was the first to disclose the call.
"I am told that President Trump and Tom Emmer spoke over the weekend and that the conversation went well," Gaetz said on his podcast Monday while noting he has not declared his support for any candidate.
"I am uncommitted to any speaker candidate at this time," Gaetz later told Politico. "I've encouraged all of our speaker candidates to support President Trump, to reach out to him, and to seek his advice."
Despite Gaetz's caveat, an individual familiar with the call — an unnamed Trump ally — described it as "productive" but declined to comment further. The ally did, however, go on to criticize Gaetz, cautioning him against "attempts … to make the call sound like something that it wasn't is misleading."
"Emmer called President Trump this weekend, and the two had a polite conversation. End of story," the Trump ally proclaimed.
While Trump has not explicitly opposed Emmer, he has been contacting House Republicans to gauge the temperature of the room and hear their opinions on the Minnesota representative.
Among those Republicans, Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, has been contacted, according to two individuals familiar with the conversations. Nehls has also held discussions with Emmer.
Nearly half of the candidates in the speakership race have already spoken with the former president, including Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., as reported by Hern's spokesperson; Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., according to a source familiar with the call; and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. Sessions confirmed his "polite conversation" with Trump over the weekend in a statement to Politico.
"The president is interested in having somebody he can work with, and I think I'm one of those people," Sessions remarked.
Emmer is currently seen as a likely front-runner in the ongoing House speaker election. As the highest-ranking contender, he has also received an endorsement from former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
However, numerous Republicans have privately expressed reservations about Emmer's ability to secure the gavel, citing pockets of resistance that could prevent him from securing the necessary 217 votes. Such resistance appears to be a common issue for all candidates.
"There's only one person that can do it all the way — that's Jesus Christ," Trump stated to reporters in New Hampshire on Monday afternoon. "If Jesus Christ came down and said I want to be speaker, he would do it. Other than that, I haven't seen anyone that can guarantee it."
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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