(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – In a fresh embarrassment for the GOP underscoring the lingering rifts in the party ranks, a new nominee for the House speaker job, Rep. Tom Emmer, gave up the nomination barely four hours after securing it – as former President Donald Trump blasted him in the meantime.
The US House of Representatives has been without a permanent speaker since October 3, when eight conservative GOP legislators sided with the Democrats to depose then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
On Tuesday, Minnesota Republican Tom Emmer decided to bow out of the Speaker’s race only a few hours after being nominated, The Daily Caller reports.
As the House Majority Whip, Emmer clinched the Speaker of the House nomination that morning, overcoming seven other candidates.
However, he quickly faced resistance from various conservative figures, including ex-President Donald Trump. Trump criticized Emmer on Truth Social, branding him a “RINO,” an abbreviation meaning a “Republican In Name Only.”
Before the vote began, seven Republicans from the House, including Reps. Mike Johnson, Byron Donalds, Kevin Hern, Austin Scott, Jack Bergman, and Pete Sessions contended for the nomination.
By the time Emmer was nominated in the fifth round of balloting, Bergman, Scott, and Hern had already withdrawn from the race.
On Truth Social, Trump castigated Emmer, calling him a “globalist” and asserting that he was out of sync with the Republican voter base.
“I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them,” wrote the leading 2024 Republican presidential nomination candidate.
“He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA—MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he added.
Trump further claimed that Emmer had been more supportive of far-left Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) than himself and raised doubts about Emmer’s loyalty, concluding with the warning that electing Emmer would be a grave error.
Two other Republican contenders, Reps. Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan couldn’t gather ample backing for their nominations.
Scalise was the first to be nominated but chose to step back from the race on October 12, citing divisions within the party.
Jordan, on the other hand, couldn’t achieve the necessary majority after three rounds of voting.
