AP source reveals plans for first House appearance and speech since leaving office
There is also talk of a temporary acting Speaker of the House at the Republican Party meeting next week.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to visit the Capitol on the 10th next week for the first time since leaving office and deliver a speech to Republican House members before electing a successor to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who they dismissed.
After his supporters rioted at the Capitol to block events that would determine Biden’s victory and the peaceful transfer of power, Trump left office, according to information obtained by The Associated Press from three sources familiar with the matter. It is reported that he will soon go to the National Assembly for the first time.
Trump has been indicted in both Georgia and Washington on charges of abetting the results of the presidential election.
However, as the current frontrunner among the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential candidates, he is ready to go anywhere to strengthen his control over the Republican Party and its lawmakers or to show off externally.
Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives are currently extremely divided, and some lawmakers are calling for Trump to return to the role of leader.
Trump himself has widely touted such a proposal, and has declared himself the leader of the Republican Party since ousting House Speaker McCarthy by passing a resolution to dismiss him.
Most Republicans have condemned the storming of the Capitol on January 6 and Trump’s directive to “fight like crazy” as illegal, but some Republicans are trying to install Trump as acting Speaker of the House pro tempore.
Among them, Representative Troy Nels from Texas is the person who was photographed standing right next to the Capitol police officers who were trying to somehow protect the House of Representatives during the January 6 riot.
Former President Trump said in an interview with Fox News Digital that he plans to go to Washington on the 10th to meet Republican lawmakers. Three sources familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that such discussions took place.
These sources reported that Trump is expected to attend as a presidential candidate a preliminary meeting ahead of the Republican Party’s vote for House speaker the next day, which will be held privately on the evening of the 10th.
With the appearance of the former president, the competition for the position of Speaker of the House between Rep. Steve Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan, who are running for Speaker of the House, is likely to become more complicated. The two candidates are already working hard to get the 218 votes needed to take the chairmanship, and they have to win over both extreme right-wing and centrist lawmakers to have a chance.
Representative Jordan of Ohio is a strong Trump supporter in Congress. Even during the January 6 riots, he was one of a group of Republicans who worked closely under Trump’s instructions.
Representative Scalise is also someone who has been close to Trump for a long time and has worked as a comrade with him.
One of the sources said that Trump could leave for the Capitol as early as the 5th, and that even if he goes ahead with this visit, he will not immediately claim the role of Speaker of the House and is more likely to hold meetings with Republican lawmakers or give a speech.
But Trump, the most powerful of Republican politicians, is also the most unpredictable.
In an interview with the digital edition of Fox News on the 5th, Trump already said that if none of the Republican lawmakers receive enough votes to become Speaker of the House, he may accept the position as Speaker of the House for a short period of time, possibly 30 to 90 days.
He said: “I have so many friends in the House that I am constantly asked to play a role in uniting the (divided) members of the party. “If the lawmakers fail to get the votes, they are asking me to serve as acting chairman until someone gets the long-term chairmanship, as I am the Republican presidential candidate,” he said.
Trump also posted on his social media earlier that day, saying, “I will do anything to help elect the Speaker of the House,” adding, “I can act temporarily until a great Republican Speaker of the House is created. “The great Speaker of the House must be someone who helps the new administration, but a president like me who is experienced and capable of ‘Make America Great Again’ (MEGA),” he argued.
Most of the lawmakers attending this Republican meeting are Trump supporters, but it remains to be seen whether they will again nominate Trump as chairman. This is because the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives is a position that requires tremendous effort to lead the Capitol and effectively persuade and deal with hundreds of lawmakers.
[워싱턴= AP/뉴시스]
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.