USA: Who will be McCarthy’s successor? – Donald Trump shows interest

US Republicans are looking for a way out of the chaos after the historic removal of the leader of the US House of Representatives. The first candidates for the top position have already been put forward. Former President Donald Trump’s loyalist and Rep. Jim Jordan threw his hat into the ring on Wednesday. Only a short time later, the previous Republican number two in the chamber, Steve Scalise, announced that he wanted to enter the race. A few more applicants are likely to be added in the coming days. Trump also didn’t miss the opportunity to fuel rumors about his candidacy.

Applicants for the “Worst Job in America”

The office of chairman of the House of Representatives is generally considered to be a back-breaking job. Chairmen of the chamber have to organize the majorities in their parliamentary groups, collect donations for the party and can never actually please everyone. Republican Representative Ken Buck spoke of the “worst job in America” on Monday. Just a day later, he voted to vote out Kevin McCarthy, who once desperately wanted the job. After all, the role also brings with it prestige: the chairman of the House of Representatives comes third in the state ranking after the president and his deputy.

And so, even after McCarthy was voted out, interested Republicans quickly spoke up. The party has a razor-thin majority in the parliamentary chamber. Trump loyalist Jordan from Ohio has already made it clear that he will oppose a new aid package for Ukraine, which is under attack by Russia, if he is elected. The 59-year-old belongs to the right-wing fringe of the parliamentary group and refused to work with the committee on the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, despite being summoned. Jordan now heads the Judiciary Committee, which is dealing with the impeachment investigation against US President Joe Biden.

For Scalise, the election comes at an inopportune time. The 57-year-old was diagnosed with blood cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. Nevertheless, he wrote a letter to his party colleagues in which he announced his ambitions. “Now more than ever, we must heal the deep wounds that exist within our group and focus on our goals so that we can once again work for the millions of people who count on us,” it said. Republicans weren’t sure whether Scalise wanted to run despite his illness.

Former President Trump is getting involved

Another old acquaintance couldn’t resist putting himself in the spotlight: Trump published a photo montage on the Truth Social platform on Wednesday, flirting with a possible candidacy. In the picture he can be seen with the chairman’s mallet in his hand. On his head he wears a baseball cap with his campaign motto: “Make America Great Again.”

When voting, MPs can also nominate people who are not members of the US Congress – like Trump. A representative would have to nominate Trump as a candidate. During the voting marathon in January, ardent Trump supporter Matt Gaetz nominated the ex-president and was the only one who voted for him. It was more of a protest by Gaetz.

Even now, Trump is not given any real chance of being elected chairman. Because all wings of the Republicans would have to rally behind one candidate. It is also very unlikely that Trump seriously wants to become chairman of the parliamentary chamber in the middle of the campaign for the presidential candidacy in the 2024 election. The 77-year-old did not respond directly to a question in New York about whether he might be able to take on the job himself, at least in the short term. He simply said that he had received a lot of calls about the issue.

“Poisoned atmosphere” in Washington

There could be an election by the middle of next week at the earliest. In any case, McCarthy does not want to run again, he made that clear after his dismissal. The Republican hardliner Gaetz, who had submitted the motion to remove McCarthy, also assured that he had no ambition to run. Instead, voices in the party are growing louder to exclude the 41-year-old from the parliamentary group.

Amid the chaos, US President Biden called for more peaceful coexistence in politics. “We must change the toxic atmosphere in Washington,” said the Democrat. “We have major differences of opinion, but we must stop seeing each other as enemies.”

Pelosi is forced out of office

However, a farce on the sidelines of the search for a new chairman makes it clear that this is unlikely to happen for the foreseeable future. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was ordered by interim leader Patrick McHenry to vacate her Capitol office. As a rule, representatives do not have offices in the Capitol itself, but in the adjacent buildings. However, high-ranking members of parliament have a place to retreat to in the Capitol – this includes the chairman of the chamber.

According to tradition, the Democrat and Representative Pelosi was allowed to keep her office even after her term in office ended. CNN reported that Democrats see the whole thing as retaliation for the party’s failure to help McCarthy vote against him. Particularly bitter: Pelosi isn’t even in Washington. She attended the memorial service for the late Senator Dianne Feinstein in California.